Alphabeta Math

Universal Properties, Representables and the Yoneda Lemma

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✓ 13 results · all verified · 0 also independently AI-judged
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1 · Prerequisites
2 · Logical flowchart

3 · Items

Definition

The covariant and contravariant hom-assignments and the hom-bifunctor of a locally small category

Theorem

The assignments C(a,-) and C(-,a) are functors to Set

Theorem

The hom-assignment C(-,-):CᵒᵖtimesCtoSet is a bifunctor

Definition

Generalized elements and their shapes

Definition

Presheaves, covariantly and contravariantly representable functors, and representations

Proposition

Initial and terminal objects are exactly the representations of the constant singleton functor

Theorem

Initial and terminal objects are unique up to a unique isomorphism

Lemma

Evaluation at the identity gives Nat(C(a,-),F)≅ F(a) and proves that the natural-transformation collection is a set

Theorem

The Yoneda bijection Nat(C(a,-),F)≅ F(a) is natural in both a and F

Corollary

For a presheaf P, Nat(C(-,a),P)≅ P(a) naturally in a and P

Remark

Local smallness does not make every natural-transformation collection a set, but the Yoneda construction proves sethood in the representable-source case

Definition

The Yoneda assignment and the small-source Yoneda functor, traditionally called the Yoneda embedding

Theorem

The Yoneda functor is fully faithful, and it is a full embedding when its object map is injective

Corollary

Objects a and b are isomorphic exactly when C(-,a) and C(-,b) are naturally isomorphic

Definition

Universal elements of covariant functors and presheaves

Theorem

A representation is equivalently a universal element with a unique factorisation property

Theorem

Representing objects are unique up to a unique isomorphism compatible with their universal elements

Definition

The category of elements of a covariant functor or a presheaf

Theorem

Universal elements are initial in a covariant category of elements and terminal in a presheaf category of elements

Definition

Universal arrows from an object to a functor and from a functor to an object

Theorem

Universal arrows to a functor are initial in comma categories, and universal arrows from a functor are terminal

Sources