Span (category theory)

In , a span, roof or correspondence is a generalization of the notion of relation between two of a . When the category has all (and satisfies a small number of other conditions), spans can be considered as morphisms in a . The notion of a span is due to Nobuo Yoneda (1954) and Jean Bénabou (1967). A span is a of type i.e., a diagram of the form . That is, let Λ be the category (-1 ← 0 → +1). Then a span in a category C is a functor S : Λ → C. This means that a span consists of three objects X, Y and Z of C and morphisms f : X → Y and g : X → Z: it is two maps with common domain. The colimit of a span is a . If R is a relation between sets X and Y (i.e. a subset of X × Y), then X ← R → Y is a span, where the maps are the projection maps and . Any object yields the trivial span A ← A → A, where the maps are the identity. More generally, let be a morphism in some category. There is a trivial span A ← A → B, where the left map is the identity on A, and the right map is the given map φ. If M is a , with W the set of weak equivalences, then the spans of the form where the left morphism is in W, can be considered a generalised morphism (i.e., where one "inverts the weak equivalences"). Note that this is not the usual point of view taken when dealing with model categories. A cospan K in a category C is a functor K : Λop → C; equivalently, a contravariant functor from Λ to C. That is, a diagram of type i.e., a diagram of the form . Thus it consists of three objects X, Y and Z of C and morphisms f : Y → X and g : Z → X: it is two maps with common codomain. The of a cospan is a . An example of a cospan is a cobordism W between two manifolds M and N, where the two maps are the inclusions into W. Note that while cobordisms are cospans, the category of cobordisms is not a "cospan category": it is not the category of all cospans in "the category of manifolds with inclusions on the boundary", but rather a thereof, as the requirement that M and N form a partition of the boundary of W is a global constraint.

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Diagram (category theory)

In , a branch of mathematics, a diagram is the categorical analogue of an indexed family in set theory. The primary difference is that in the categorical setting one has morphisms that also need indexing. An indexed family of sets is a collection of sets, indexed by a fixed set; equivalently, a function from a fixed index set to the class of sets. A diagram is a collection of objects and morphisms, indexed by a fixed category; equivalently, a functor from a fixed index category to some category.

Diagonal functor

In , a branch of mathematics, the diagonal functor is given by , which maps as well as morphisms. This functor can be employed to give a succinct alternate description of the product of objects within the : a product is a universal arrow from to . The arrow comprises the projection maps. More generally, given a , one may construct the , the objects of which are called . For each object in , there is a constant diagram that maps every object in to and every morphism in to .

Pullback (category theory)

In , a branch of mathematics, a pullback (also called a fiber product, fibre product, fibered product or Cartesian square) is the of a consisting of two morphisms f : X → Z and g : Y → Z with a common codomain. The pullback is written P = X ×f, Z, g Y. Usually the morphisms f and g are omitted from the notation, and then the pullback is written P = X ×Z Y. The pullback comes equipped with two natural morphisms P → X and P → Y. The pullback of two morphisms f and g need not exist, but if it does, it is essentially uniquely defined by the two morphisms.

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