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For a continuous map $f:X\to Y$, precomposition with the induced map on singular chains sends a singular cochain on $Y$ to one on $X$. It commutes with the coboundary and induces the induced map on cohomology.

For integral singular cochains $a\in C^p(X)$ and $b\in C^q(X)$, define the cup product on an ordered simplex byThe same construction works over any commutative coefficient ring. Expanding the coboundary as the alternating sum of faces gives the Leibniz identityIndeed faces deleting vertices before the split occur in the first sum, faces after the split occur in the second, and the two terms at the common vertex cancel with opposite signs. Thus the product of cocycles is a cocycle. Replacing $a$ by $a+\delta c$ changes the product with a cocycle $b$ by $\delta (c⌣b)$; replacing $b$ by $b+\delta d$ changes the product with a cocycle $a$ by $(-1{)}^p\delta (a⌣d)$. Hence the product is independent of representatives and defines a well-defined product on cohomology classes.

With ${\mathbb{F}}_2={\mathbb{Z}}_2$ coefficients, the real-projective-space cohomology ring isFor $n>m\ge 1$, the pullback of the degree-one generator is either zero or $t$. The second choice would send the zero class $t^{m+1}$ to the nonzero class $t^{m+1}\in H^{m+1}({\mathbb{RP}}^n;{\mathbb{F}}_2)$, contradicting the naturality of the cup product. Thus the generator pulls back to zero, and so do all its positive powers. For $m=0$ the target's reduced cohomology is already zero. Therefore every such map induces zero on reduced mod-two cohomology.

Suppose a continuous $f:S^n\to {\mathbb{R}}^n$ had $f(x)\ne f(-x)$ everywhere. Thenis a continuous odd map to $S^{n-1}$ and descends to $\bar{h}:{\mathbb{RP}}^n\to {\mathbb{RP}}^{n-1}$. For $n\ge 2$, a path from $x$ to $-x$ projects to a loop detected by the degree-one generator of the double cover. Its image lifts to a path from $h(x)$ to $-h(x)$, so is detected by the target's double cover as well. Thus ${\bar{h}}^{\ast }$ is nonzero in degree one, contradicting the preceding calculation. For $n=1$, an odd continuous map from the connected circle to $S^0$ is already impossible. The case $n=0$ is immediate. HenceThis proves the Borsuk-Ulam theorem rather than assuming it.

For a closed cover $A_1,\dots ,A_{n+1}$, assume no member contains an antipodal pair. Apply the just-proved theorem to $F(x)=(d(x,A_1),\dots ,d(x,A_n))$, using any metric on the sphere. Empty sets can be assigned a constant positive coordinate. It gives equal distances at $x,-x$. If either point belongs to an $A_i$ with $i\le n$, zero distance and closedness place both points in it, a contradiction. Hence neither lies in any of the first $n$ sets, and both must lie in $A_{n+1}$, another contradiction. This proves the Lusternik-Schnirelmann-Borsuk theorem for closed sets.

Four closed sets on $S^2$ need not contain an antipodal pair. Take the four unit vertices $v_i$ of a regular tetrahedron centered at zero and define $C_i=\{x:x\cdot v_i\ge x\cdot v_j\text{ for every }j\}$. These closed sets cover the sphere by maximizing the four scalar products. If $x$ and $-x$ belonged to $C_i$, both inequalities would force all four scalar products to be equal. Since $\sum v_i=0$, they would all be zero, and because the vertices span ${\mathbb{R}}^3$, $x$ would be zero. This is impossible on the sphere. Thus these four sets give the antipodal-free closed cover from simplex Voronoi cells counterexample.

Use the short exact sequence of coefficient groupsThe groups of singular chains are free, so applying the cochain construction gives a short exact sequence of cochain complexes. Its long exact sequence in cohomology has the required terms and reduction map $r_{\ast }$. Define the Bockstein homomorphism to be its connecting homomorphism.

Explicitly, represent $x$ by a mod-$p$ cocycle $a$ and lift it to an integral singular cochain $A$. Since $a$ is a cocycle, $\delta A$ is divisible by $p$. ThenThis is exactly the lift-and-coboundary construction for the coefficient sequence above: the mod-$p^2$ coboundary of $A$ lies in the image of $j$. The quotient cochain is a cocycle, since ${\delta }^{2}A=0$ and integral cochains have no $p$-torsion. Replacing $A$ by another lift adds $pC$ and changes the quotient by $\delta C$ modulo $p$; replacing the representative by a coboundary likewise leaves its cohomology class unchanged. Thus the definition is independent of choices.

A degree-zero cocycle is a function on points constant on each path component. Choose an integer representative for its value on each component. This produces an integral zero-cocycle lift, with zero coboundary. Hence the Bockstein vanishes on $H^0(X;{\mathbb{F}}_p)$ for every space.

For a nonzero example in every positive degree $i$, take the Moore space $X=S^i{\cup }_p{e}^{i+1}$, attaching the cell by a map of mapping degree $p$. Its positive-degree integral cellular cochain complex has the differential $\mathbb{Z}\stackrel{p}{\to }\mathbb{Z}$ from degree $i$ to $i+1$; when $i=1$, the preceding differential from degree zero is zero. Modulo $p$ the displayed differential vanishes, and $H^i(X;{\mathbb{F}}_p)=H^{i+1}(X;{\mathbb{F}}_p)={\mathbb{F}}_p$. Lift the degree-$i$ generator to the cellular cochain with value one. Its coboundary has value $p$, so dividing by $p$ gives the generator in degree $i+1$. Naturality of cellular and singular cohomology with coefficient sequences identifies this with the Bockstein on a cyclic Moore space. Therefore $\beta$ is nonzero, indeed an isomorphism, in the requested degree for every prime $p$.

Finally take integral lifts $A,B$ of cocycles representing $x\in H^i(X;{\mathbb{F}}_p)$ and $y\in H^j(X;{\mathbb{F}}_p)$. Write $\delta A=p{A}_1$ and $\delta B=p{B}_1$. The cochain cup product obeys the graded Leibniz identity, soDivide by $p$, reduce modulo $p$ and pass to cohomology. This proves the Bockstein derivation rule

For an $n$-dimensional singular simplex $\sigma$ and a degree-$p$ singular cochain $\alpha$, use the front-face/back-face conventionand set it to zero for $p>n$. Extend linearly over $R$. Passing to homology classes of cycles and cohomology classes of cocycles defines the cap product $H_n(X;R)\times H^p(X;R)\to H_{n-p}(X;R)$.

For a continuous map $f$, the cochain pullback satisfies $(f^{\ast }\alpha )(\tau )=\alpha (f\circ \tau )$, and the induced chain map sends $\sigma$ to $f\circ \sigma$. Since composition commutes with restrictions to faces,The identity holds on chains, so it descends directly to classes and proves the naturality of the cap product: $f_{\ast }(x⌢f^{\ast }\alpha )=f_{\ast }(x)⌢\alpha$. No additional well-definedness verification is required here.

Define compactly supported cohomology byFor $K\subseteq L$, the transition map is induced by the identity map of pairs $(X,X\setminus L)\to (X,X\setminus K)$. Equivalently, take the cochain complex of singular cochains that vanish on every chain contained in the complement of some compact set. Directed unions are exact, giving the same definition.

For $\mathbb{R}$, the intervals $[-a,a]$, $a>0$, are cofinal among compact subsets. The complement has two contractible components. The long exact sequence in relative cohomology contains the diagonal map $\mathbb{Z}\to \mathbb{Z}\oplus \mathbb{Z}$, so its cokernel is $H^1(\mathbb{R},\mathbb{R}\setminus [-a,a])\cong \mathbb{Z}$, and all the other relative groups vanish. Enlarging the interval preserves the generator given by the difference of the two ends. Therefore

For the compact-support comparison with a one-point compactification, write $Y=X^{+}$. The assumed Hausdorff one-point compactification is compact; a compact subset $K\subseteq X$ is closed in $Y$. The Excision theorem removes $\{\infty \}$ from the pair $(Y,Y\setminus K)$, because its closure lies inside the open second member. ThusComplements of compact subsets of $X$ are exactly the open neighbourhoods of $\infty$ in $Y$. The hypothesis supplies a cofinal family of contractible such neighbourhoods $U$. For every one, the long exact sequence of the pair identifiesIn degree zero, this is the kernel of evaluation on the component of $\infty$, identified with reduced cohomology by subtracting the constant value there. In degree one the map $H^0(Y)\to H^0(U)\cong \mathbb{Z}$ is surjective; in higher degrees the positive cohomology of $U$ vanishes. These identifications are natural for inclusions of contractible neighbourhoods. Passing to the direct limit proves

For the specified disjoint union of lines, a compact subset meets only finitely many components and is bounded in each. Finite unions $F\times [-a,a]$, with $F\subset \mathbb{Z}$ finite, are cofinal. Applying the preceding relative calculation componentwise givesThe one-point compactification $W$ of this space is the Hawaiian earring: each line becomes a circle by adding the common point $\infty$, and every neighbourhood of $\infty$ contains all but finitely many whole circles. On the remaining finitely many circles it contains neighbourhoods of the common point. This describes exactly the shrinking-circle topology. In particular $W$ is not locally contractible at $\infty$: every such neighbourhood contains a whole circle, whose generator remains nontrivial under the retraction $W\to S^1$ that collapses all the other circles.

For integral singular cohomology, the comparison does not hold. Here is a degree-two obstruction that takes account of the shrinking-circle topology. The standard rational summand in Hawaiian earring homology theorem gives a direct summand $\mathbb{Q}$ in $H_1(W;\mathbb{Z})$. The universal coefficient theorem for cohomology injectsThe summand $\mathbb{Q}$ therefore contributes the nonzero Ext of the rationals with integer coefficients.

For completeness, this last algebraic assertion has an explicit proof. Present $\mathbb{Q}$ using generators $a_n=1/n!$ and relations $a_n-(n+1)a_{n+1}=0$, $n\ge 1$. The corresponding free resolution shows that ${\mathrm{Ext}}_{\mathbb{Z}}^1(\mathbb{Q},\mathbb{Z})$ is the cokernel ofThe constant sequence $(1,1,\dots )$ is not in the image. Otherwise iteration would giveFor large $N$, the factorial sum exceeds $|u_1|$ but is less than $(N+1)!-|u_1|$, making that congruence impossible. Thus the cokernel is nonzero. It follows thatwhich proves the failure of the claimed isomorphism. The ingredient concerning the Hawaiian earring is its singular-homology structure theorem, not the homology of an infinite CW complex wedge of circles; these topologies differ.