What is Topology?

"While we expect that most of our readers will have some acquaintance with General Relativity, we have endeavoured to write this book so that it is self-contained apart from requiring a knowledge of simple calculus, algebra and point set topology" Stephen Hawking & G.F.R. Ellis, The large scale structure of space-time. 1973 "We show that [topology and computer science] are linked by the idea of convergence [. . . ] Point-set topology can be thought of as the study of convergence in general spaces." A. W. Roscoe, Topology and category theory in computer science, eds G.M. Reed, A.W. Roscoe, and R.F. Wachter. 1991 "This book is a systematic exposition of a part of general topology that has proven useful in several barnches of mathematics. I have, with difficulty, been prevented by my friends from labeling it: What Every Young Analysis Should Know." John L. Kelley, General Topology, 1955

MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive (from University of St. Andrews, Scotland). See the article "Topology Enters Mathematics" under the History Topics Index, and the Short Biographies of Mathematicians. An interview (in Topology Atlas) with the renown Russian topologist Alexander V. Arhangel'skii includes some history of topology. Elsewhere there is a home page for the Axiom of Choice (and a humorous, accurate article by a feature columnist, Jim Holt), Now back on line is the world's largest collection of mathematical definitions (topology there is divided into ten topics).

Topology Atlas is a huge data base of things related to topology, including a short electronic publication of mine.

More math links can be found on the home pages of most mathematicans. There is a list of home pages of topologists in Topology Atlas.


Go to my home page, the home page of the department, or to the UNCG home page.