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The First Chern class turns the tensor product of vector bundles of complex line bundles into addition in integral cohomology. This follows by computing the universal complex line bundle on the product of two Complex projective spaces and restricting to each factor. The proof retains torsion elements, which differential forms alone cannot detect.

For the First Chern class identity, use finite-dimensional classifying maps. A complex line bundle on a compact Hausdorff space embeds in a finite-dimensional trivial vector bundle, so it is a pullback vector bundle of the tautological bundle on some Complex projective space. For the two complex line bundles, the universal tensor product of vector bundles is classified by the mapIts restriction to either factor pulls the tautological bundle back to the tautological bundle on that factor. The degree-two cohomology of the product is the direct sum of the degree-two cohomology of its factors, so these two restrictions determine its First Chern class. Pulling back to $X$ provesThis proves the integral identity, including possible torsion elements in the cohomology of $X$; an argument using only curvature forms would not detect those torsion elements.

The splitting principle for complex vector bundles says that for a vector bundle $E\to X$ there is an iterated projective bundle $p:F(E)\to X$ for which $p^{\ast }$ is injective on integral cohomology, and $p^{\ast }E$ is a direct sum of complex line bundles. The same assertion holds with rational coefficients, and a common such space can split any finite collection of vector bundles. The injectivity follows at each stage from the projective bundle formula for complex vector bundles; a Hermitian metric splits the resulting filtration into a direct sum.

Write $x_i=c_1(L_i)$ for the Chern roots of the pulled-back vector bundle. Define the degree-$2j$ component of its Chern character byThe Fundamental theorem of symmetric polynomials expresses each power-sum symmetric polynomial ${\sum }_i{x}_i^j$ uniquely as an integral polynomial in the elementary symmetric polynomials, which are the Chern classes of $E$. Thus the definition makes sense on $X$ itself, without choosing actual Chern roots there. On a compact Hausdorff space, each vector bundle is classified by a finite-dimensional Grassmannian; its high-degree Chern character components therefore vanish. Hence this defines a class in the direct sum $H^{2\ast }(X;\mathbb{Q})$ even if $X$ has no finite dimension. On more general spaces an infinite Chern character is instead interpreted in the product of the even-degree cohomology groups.

On a common splitting space, the Chern roots of a direct sum are the combined root lists, whereas the First Chern class identity makes the Chern roots of a tensor product of vector bundles the pairwise sums $x_i+y_j$. ConsequentlyThe injectivity in the splitting principle for complex vector bundles descends both identities to $X$. Additivity extends the Chern character to the Grothendieck group by $\mathrm{ch}([E]-[F])=\mathrm{ch}(E)-\mathrm{ch}(F)$. Multiplicativity and $\mathrm{ch}(1)=1$ then show that the Chern character is a unital ring homomorphism.

For Complex K-theory of complex projective space, let $\gamma$ be the tautological bundle, put $t=1-[\gamma ]$, and set $h=-c_1(\gamma )$. The cohomology ring of complex projective space is $\mathbb{Z}[h]/(h^{n+1})$. The CW filtration gives a cofibrationThe K-theory six-term exact sequence and Complex K-theory of a sphere give, inductively,Here $b_n$ is the image of a Bott element from $S^{2n}$, normalized so that $\mathrm{ch}(b_n)=h^n$. This normalization follows from the multiplicative form of Bott periodicity: the Chern character of the degree-two Bott element is an integral generator, and multiplication yields the top-degree generator on $S^{2n}$. In particular, the abelian group $K^0({\mathbb{CP}}^n)$ is a free abelian group of rank $n+1$.

Assume inductively that $1,t,\dots ,t^{n-1}$ form an integral basis on ${\mathbb{CP}}^{n-1}$. Their lifts, together with $b_n$, form an integral basis on ${\mathbb{CP}}^n$. Sincethe Chern characters of this basis are linearly independent over $\mathbb{Q}$: their first nonzero degrees are $0,2,\dots ,2n$. Thus the Chern character is injective on $K^0({\mathbb{CP}}^n)$. By induction $t^n$ restricts to zero on ${\mathbb{CP}}^{n-1}$, so $t^n=a{b}_n$ for an integer $a$. Comparing Chern characters gives $a=1$. Also $\mathrm{ch}(t^{n+1})=0$, so $t^{n+1}=0$. This proves the integral answer, rather than merely its rationalization:The induction begins with ${\mathbb{CP}}^0$ a point and $t=0$.

Use the standard complex K-theory Thom class convention. For a rank-$r$ complex vector bundle, its K-theory Euler class is the pullback of the K-theory Thom class along the zero section, namelyHere ${\Lambda }^j$ denotes an exterior power, and a Hermitian metric identifies the dual bundle with the conjugate vector bundle. Choosing ${\lambda }_{-1}(E)$ instead changes the K-theory Euler class by the unit $(-1{)}^r[\det E]$, so its kernel and cokernel computations are unchanged.

For the disk bundle $D(E)$ and sphere bundle $S(E)$, the K-theory Thom class identifies $K^i(D(E),S(E))$ with $K^i(X)$. The exact sequence of this pair becomes the K-theory Gysin sequence of a sphere bundle:The groups are two-periodic by Bott periodicity.

View Real projective space as the circle bundle of ${\gamma }^{\otimes 2}$ over Complex projective space, where $\gamma \to {\mathbb{CP}}^n$ is the tautological bundle. Indeed, $S^{2n+1}/\{\pm 1\}={\mathbb{RP}}^{2n+1}$ maps to $S({\gamma }^{\otimes 2})$ by $[v]\mapsto v\otimes v$; in each fiber squaring identifies exactly $v$ and $-v$.

Use Complex K-theory of complex projective space in the formThe K-theory Euler class of ${\gamma }^{\otimes 2}$ is $1-[\gamma {]}^{-2}$. Multiplying it by the unit $-[\gamma {]}^2$ gives $1-[\gamma {]}^2=2t-t^2$. The K-theory Gysin sequence of a sphere bundle therefore givesUnder the projection $q:{\mathbb{RP}}^{2n+1}\to {\mathbb{CP}}^n$, the pullback vector bundle $q^{\ast }\gamma$ is the complexification of a real vector bundle $L$ of the tautological bundle of Real projective space: the fiber map sends $[v,z]$ to $zv$. Thus $t$ pulls back to $1-[L]$. Put $\mu =[L]-1$. The relation $L^{\otimes 2}\cong 1$ gives ${\mu }^2=-2\mu$, and $t^{n+1}=0$ gives $2^n\mu =0$. HenceFor completeness, these relations give precisely the abelian group $\mathbb{Z}\oplus \mathbb{Z}/2^n$. In the basis $t,\dots ,t^n$, the image of multiplication by $2t-t^2$ is generated by $2t-t^2,2t^2-t^3,\dots ,2t^n$; its relation matrix is triangular with determinant $2^n$, and the relations express every $t^j$ as $2^{j-1}t$. Thus there is exactly one cyclic torsion subgroup of order $2^n$.

If $n\ge 1$ and $a=a_0+a_{1}t+\cdots +a_n{t}^n$ is in the kernel, successive coefficients of $(2t-t^2)a$ give $2a_0=0$, $2a_1-a_0=0$, and so on, up to $2a_{n-1}-a_{n-2}=0$. Hence $a_0=\cdots =a_{n-1}=0$, with $a_n$ arbitrary. For $n=0$ the multiplier is zero on $R=\mathbb{Z}$. In all cases,

Finally let $E=L^{\oplus k}$ with $k\ge 1$, over $B={\mathbb{RP}}^{2n+1}$. Since $L^{\ast }\cong L$, multiplicativity of the K-theory Euler class givesOn $K^0(B)=\mathbb{Z}\oplus (\mathbb{Z}/2^n)\mu$, the image of multiplication by this K-theory Euler class is the subgroup generated by $2^{k-1}\mu$: multiplication by an integer produces every such multiple, while multiplication by $\mu$ only adds multiples of $2^k\mu$. ThereforeMultiplication by $\mu$ is zero on $K^{-1}(B)\cong \mathbb{Z}$, since $2^n\mu =0$ and this abelian group has no nonzero torsion elements. Thus the K-theory Gysin sequence of a sphere bundle gives a short exact sequenceIt splits as an exact sequence of abelian groups because its quotient is a free abelian group. ConsequentlyThe convention $\mathbb{Z}/1=0$ covers $n=0$ and $k=1$. For example, when $k=1$ the sphere bundle is $(S^{2n+1}\times S^1)/\{(v,z)\sim (-v,-z)\}$, a mapping torus of the antipodal map; its Topological K-theory has no nonzero torsion elements, agreeing with the formula. If $k=0$ is allowed, the rank-zero vector bundle has an empty unit sphere bundle, so $K^0(S(E))=0$ instead.

Let $P_{\bullet }\to \mathbb{Z}$ be a projective resolution of the trivial $\mathbb{Z}G$-module. The projective-resolution definition of group cohomology isThis is independent, up to a natural isomorphism, of the chosen projective resolution.

The degreewise natural isomorphismscommute with the coboundary maps. Taking cohomology proves that group cohomology commutes with finite direct sums:

Now restrict $P_{\bullet }$ from $G$ to a subgroup $K$. The group ring $\mathbb{Z}G$ is free as a $\mathbb{Z}K$-module, so restriction carries free modules to free modules and projective modules to projective modules. Thus the restricted complex is a projective resolution of the trivial $\mathbb{Z}K$-module. For the coinduced module $Y={\mathrm{Hom}}_{\mathbb{Z}K}(\mathbb{Z}G,X)$, the Hom functor adjunction for a coinduced module gives an isomorphism of cochain complexesExplicitly, a map $F$ is sent to $p\mapsto F(p)(1)$; the inverse sends a $\mathbb{Z}K$-linear map $a$ to $p\mapsto (r\mapsto a(rp))$. Taking cohomology proves Shapiro's lemma:

For the conjugation module of a group ring $N=\mathbb{Z}{G}_{\mathrm{conj}}$, the basis $G$ is the disjoint union of its conjugacy classes. Hence $N$ is the direct sum of the integral permutation modules on those classes. The class of a representative $g_i$ is the transitive $G$-set $G/C_G(g_i)$, where $C_G(g_i)$ is its centralizer. Since $G$ is finite, this permutation module is both induced and coinduced from the trivial $C_G(g_i)$-module $\mathbb{Z}$. Applying group cohomology commutes with finite direct sums and Shapiro's lemma yields the group cohomology of a conjugation module:

The symmetric group $S_3$ has three conjugacy classes, represented by the identity, a transposition, and a three-cycle. Their centralizers are respectivelyFor any finite group $L$ acting trivially on $\mathbb{Z}$,because a group homomorphism sends an element of finite order to an element of finite order, while the additive group of the integers contains no nonzero torsion elements. ThereforeThe periodic resolution of a finite cyclic group alternates the maps $t-1$ and $1+t+\cdots +t^{m-1}$. After applying ${\mathrm{Hom}}_{\mathbb{Z}{C}_m}(-,\mathbb{Z})$ with the trivial action, these become alternately zero and multiplication by $m$, provingCombining this calculation with the supplied $H^2(S_3,\mathbb{Z})\cong \mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z}$ gives

A group is a torsion group when every element is a torsion element, meaning that each element has finite order. The orders need not have a common finite bound. A torsion group has no nontrivial torsion-free group as a subgroup; in particular it cannot contain a nonabelian free group. Infinite finitely generated groups of this kind can be constructed using a torsion group construction by p-power relators.