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PropositionStatement: Literature-sourcedProof: AI-adaptedPipeline-generatedprecheck passjudge pass (gpt-5.6-terra)audited 2026-09-14
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K⁰ is contravariantly functorial and homotopy invariant

Statement

Assume AC. A continuous map f:X→Y of compact Hausdorff spaces induces a unital ring map

f∗:K0(Y)⟶K0(X),

with id⁡∗=id⁡ and (g∘f)∗=f∗g∗. Homotopic maps induce the same map. If f is based, then f∗ restricts to K~0(Y)→K~0(X).

Facts & Assumptions

Given: AC and continuous maps between compact Hausdorff spaces.

[F1]

Pullback bundles have canonical identity and composite comparisons (Vector-bundle pullback is canonically functorial).

[F2]

Under AC, homotopic maps pull a vector bundle back to isomorphic endpoint bundles (Homotopy invariance of vector-bundle pullback).

[F3]

Grothendieck completion is universal for monoid maps (Complex topological K⁰ by Grothendieck completion), and tensor product defines the ring structure (Grothendieck ring structure and rank map).

[F4]

Reduced K0 is the kernel of restriction to the basepoint (Reduced complex K-theory).

[A1]

AC is used only through the endpoint-isomorphism theorem [F2].

Proof

technique · direct
1.1F1F3algebra

Pullback sends [E] to [f∗E] and preserves Whitney sums. By [F3] it extends uniquely to f∗([E]−[F])=[f∗E]−[f∗F]. Pullback also preserves tensor products and the trivial line, so this is a unital ring map. The canonical isomorphisms in [F1] give the identity and contravariant composition laws on bundle generators, hence on all virtual classes.

2.1F2A1step 1.1

If f0≃f1, [F2] gives f0∗E≅f1∗E for every bundle E. The two induced maps therefore agree on all generators and, by the formula in step 1.1, on K0(Y). This is the sole use of AC.

3.1F1F4step 1.1∎

If f:(X,x0)→(Y,y0) is based, then f∘ix0=iy0. Step 1.1 gives ix0∗f∗=iy0∗, so f∗ carries the kernel in [F4] into the corresponding kernel.

Depends on

Dependency tree · 2 levels

Sources