Mod two homology and cohomology (Q2509839)

This graduate level text uses mod 2 homology and cohomology to present algebraic topology and covers a vast amount of ground giving many applications and thus showing the power of algebraic topology. Occasionally results are used that go beyond the mod 2 philosophy of the book, but in these cases references are cited. Similarly when a result for mod 2 homology differs materially from that for integral homology, as in the case of the representability of homology classes by manifolds, this is acknowledged. The book introduces mod 2 homology and cohomology in parallel -- this is possible because both chains and cochains for mod 2 (co)homology have simple geometrical models for the simplicial case. Indeed the author has some nice diagrams of chains and cochains in chapter 2 After introducing the simplicial case the author moves to singular and cellular (co)homology. The author shows the equivalence of the theories for simplicial complexes. Several nice applications are given including the introduction of notion of a characteristic class for double covers. This pattern of introducing simple versions of more sophisticated concepts early is maintained throughout the book. Next products are introduced and the author is able to give a number of applications including the Thom isomorphism. A chapter devoted to Poincaré duality introduces manifolds and besides Poincaré duality, Alexander duality and submanifolds are discussed. The next chapter discusses projective spaces and gives applications to the Borsuk-Ulam theorem and the Hopf invariant. The author next considers spaces with involutions and equivariant cohomology, Smith theory appears here as an application. This chapter in some sense serves as a prelude to the next one which introduces the Steenrod squares and the Steenrod algebra. This is followed by a chapter on the Stiefel-Whitney classes. An interesting aspect of the approach used here, and in keeping with the book's approach to the subject, is that the first and second Stiefel-Whitney classes are introduced first and some results on orientability and Spin structures given before the rest of the classes are defined. The final chapter ``Miscellaneous Applications and developments'' gives results on the topics of group actions, chain spaces, equivariant characteristic classes and the Kervaire invariant. Each chapter concludes with a number of exercises and the final chapter of the book gives hints for solutions. The book is at first somewhat overwhelming, not in the sense that it is initially hard to read, it is not, but rather in its size which is a bit daunting. The interested and motivated reader will find a great deal of material here and can benefit from a close reading of this text. There are occasions where additional geometrical insight would have been nice -- the Grassmannian as classifying space for vector bundles has such an appealing geometry that it is sad to see it omitted. On the other hand the author includes a number of pointers to the history of algebraic topology which the interested reader can pursue.