Topology 2: Algebraic Topology - Math 2701, Spring 2020

Course Information

Meeting time:	Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 1:00PM-1:50PM (First meeting: January 6) Thackeray Hall, Room 524 (until March 6) Online on CourseWeb (from March 23)
Instructor:	Carl Wang-Erickson	Office: Thackeray 421
	carl.wang-erickson@pitt.edu	Office Hours: Mondays 4pm-5pm and Wednesdays 2pm-3pm, or as otherwise announced via email From March 23: Office hours will be held online on CourseWeb

Course Summary

This is an introductory graduate-level course in topology, focusing on introducing the fundamentals of homotopy and (co)homology.

Syllabus

All of the course information will be available in the syllabus.

Problem Sets

Problem set 1, due on January 17.
Problem set 2, due on January 24. Solution.
Problem set 3, due on January 31. Solution.
Problem set 4, due on February 7.
Problem set 5, due on February 14.
Problem set 6, due on February 21.
Problem set 7, due on February 28.
Reading assignment #1, due on March 20. Read the textbook from the start of Chapter 2 to the end of Section 2.1, and email me with at least two distinct questions about what you read.
Problem set 8, due on March 27.
Problem set 9, due on April 3.

Reading Guides

With teaching now moving online, I am producing some reading guides to prepare you for our online course sessions.

Reading guide 1, on Section 2.1.
Reading guide 2, on Section 2.1.

Final Project

The final project with consist of a writing assignment, along with an optional but encouraged presentation. The goal of both your writing and your presentation should be to clearly explain a new concept to the audience of your classmates. Final project prompt.

Midterm

The midterm will occur in class on Friday, March 6. Here are some resources related to the midterm.

The midterm exam review summarizes the content that we have studied up until the midterm.
Here is the midterm exam with solutions.

Resources

Reference books

Algebraic Topology, by Allen Hatcher. It is available online here.
Algebraic Topology: An Introduction, by W. S. Massey, is a good complementary source to learn about surfaces.

Return to Carl's webpage.