Topology

Study of geometric properties preserved under continuous deformations.

Basic Concepts

Types of Topological Spaces

Exploring Different Spaces

Topology covers a variety of spaces, each with unique properties. The most common types are:

  • Metric Spaces: These have a notion of distance, like the plane or 3D space.
  • Discrete Spaces: Every point is isolated; think of a collection of separate dots.
  • Continuous Spaces: Points are close together, such as a line or surface.
  • Manifolds: Spaces that locally look like Euclidean space, such as the surface of a sphere.

How Are Spaces Used?

Mathematicians classify spaces to better understand their behaviors and relationships. For example, surfaces can be classified by the number of holes they have.

Fun Examples

  • The surface of a donut (torus) is a manifold with one hole.
  • The real number line is a classic example of a metric, continuous space.

Examples

  • A chessboard without the squares connected is a discrete space.

  • The shape of a drumhead is a manifold that looks flat locally but is round overall.

In a Nutshell

Topological spaces come in many forms, from simple lines to complex surfaces, each with special properties.