Manifolds/Topology Preliminary Exam

Spring 2010

This exam has two parts, A1, A2, A3, and B1, B2, B3. Please use separate blue books for
each part A and B. Be sure to put your code name on each book and indicate clearly which
problems are in each book. Do not write your real name on any book. Please explain
your work clearly and indicate clearly what results you are using in your explanation. No
calculators, books, cell phones, etc.
Part A
X is the index of the image of
1. The number of sheets in a covering space p : X
x
p : 1 (X, 0 ) 1 (X, x0 ) in 1 (X, x0 )
(a) How many 2 sheeted covering spaces are there for S 1 , the circle?

(b) Same question for S 1 S 1 .

(c) If 1 (X, x0 ) is infinite, is there a covering space with infinitely many sheets?

(d) How many 2 sheeted covering spaces are there for the product of 2 projective spaces
Rp2 Rp2 ?

2. Let f : S n S n be a continuous map from the n-sphere to itself.

(a) Define the degree deg(f ).

(b) If f has an inverse g, so that g f = Id and f g = Id, what are the possible degrees
for f and g?

(c) Suppose f f ' f . What are the possible degrees for degf ?

(d) What is the degree of the antipodal map

A(~x) = (x0 , x1 , , xn )

3. Let f : X X be a continuous map of a finite simplicial complex X to itself.

(a) Define the Lefschetz number L(f )

(b) What is L(Id) (Id is the identity)?

(c) Let X = S 2n . Suppose f : S 2n S 2n is homotopic to Id. Show that f has a fixed

point.

(d) If X = S 2n+1 , show that part (c) is false.

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Part B

1. If M n is a smooth manifold, suppose n < k and f : M n Rk a smooth immersion

(Jacobian of max rank). We call f an embedding if f is 1-1 and takes open sets to
(relatively) open sets in f (M n ) Rk .

(a) Show that when M n is compact, a 1-1 immersion is necessarily also an embedding.

(b) If f : M n Rk is an embedding and g : M n R` is a smooth map, is f g : M n

Rk R` an embedding?

(c) Find a 1-1 immersion of (a, b) in R2 which is not an embedding.

2. Let f : S 2 R3 be an embedding.

(a) Suppose there is a K > 0 so that every point of f (S 2 ) is closer to the origin then K.
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Show that there is a point on f (S 2 ) where Gauss curvature is > K .

(b) Show by example that f (S 2 ) may have a subset of positive area of negative Gauss
curvature.

(c) Show the integral of the Gauss curvature over all of f (S 2 ) is always > 12.

3. Let = (ex sin y + ex cos y + 3x2 y 2 )dx + (ex cos y ex sin y + 2x3 y)dy + zdz be a
differential 1-form on R3 . Is d = 0? If so, find f (x, y, z) with df = . Explain.