Paper 4, Section II, H

Algebraic Topology
Part II, 2011

State the Mayer-Vietoris theorem, and use it to calculate, for each integer q>1q>1, the homology group of the space XqX_{q} obtained from the unit disc B2CB^{2} \subseteq \mathbb{C} by identifying pairs of points (z1,z2)\left(z_{1}, z_{2}\right) on its boundary whenever z1q=z2qz_{1}^{q}=z_{2}^{q}. [You should construct an explicit triangulation of XqX_{q}.]

Show also how the theorem may be used to calculate the homology groups of the suspension SKS K of a connected simplicial complex KK in terms of the homology groups of KK, and of the wedge union XYX \vee Y of two connected polyhedra. Hence show that, for any finite sequence (G1,G2,,Gn)\left(G_{1}, G_{2}, \ldots, G_{n}\right) of finitely-generated abelian groups, there exists a polyhedron XX such that H0(X)Z,Hi(X)GiH_{0}(X) \cong \mathbb{Z}, H_{i}(X) \cong G_{i} for 1in1 \leqslant i \leqslant n and Hi(X)=0H_{i}(X)=0 for i>ni>n. [You may assume the structure theorem which asserts that any finitely-generated abelian group is isomorphic to a finite direct sum of (finite or infinite) cyclic groups.]