Simplification techniques for maps in simplicial topology (Q2456597)

In simplicial topology many important constructions, such as Steenrod operations, can be expressed as composites of three fundamental operators, AW, EML and SHI, which feature in the Eilenberg-Zilber theorem. Computationally the benefit of this description is limited by the fact that the number of terms in EML and SHI grow exponentially. In the composites of interest, many of these summands cancel, and the present paper contains an algorithmic approach to finding more economical formulas.