Exercise 6.1.

1
The number of k-dimensional faces in an n-dimensional simplex is unordered choices of k +1
(n+1)!
vertices out of n + 1 vertices. The number is (k+1)!(n−k)! .
Exercise 6.1.2
The first is not a triangulation because the intersection of red and blue edges (1-simplices)
consists of two 0-simplices: one is the corner vertex 1, the other is the the middle vertex 2.
The others are triangulations of the torus.
1 0 1

Exercise 6.1.3
The third picture in Figure 6.1.9 also gives a triangulation of the Möbius band. The following
also gives a triangulation of the Möbius band.

Exercise 6.1.4
The third picture in Figure 6.1.9 also gives a triangulation of the real projective space.
Alternatively, the following picture gives the most efficient triangulation of the real projective
space. In the picture, we think of the space as obtained by identifying three pairs (red, blue,
green) of the boundary edges of a 6-gon by the indicated directions.

Exercise 6.1.5
After identifying the boundary circle to a point, the triangles in the first picture become
bigons, the quadrilaterals in the other three pictures become triangles, except the quadrilateral
in the middle of the last picture remains to be a quadrilateral. Therefore the first and fourth
are not simplicial complexes. The second and third are simplicial complexes.
Exercise 6.2.1
After identifying the left and right edges as indicated, the following becomes a CW-structure
of the Möbius band: two vertices, three (red, blue, black) 1-cells, and one (yellow) 2-cell.

After identifying the edges as indicated, the following becomes a CW-structure of the Klein
bottle: one vertex, two (red, blue) 1-cells, and one (yellow) 2-cell.

After identifying the edges as indicated, the following becomes a CW-structure of the pro-
jective space: one vertex, two (red, blue) 1-cells, and one (yellow) 2-cell.
Exercise 6.4.1
By Exercise 6.2.1, we get

χ(Möbius band) = 2 − 3 + 1 = 0,
χ(Klein bottle) = 1 − 2 + 1 = 0.

Moreover, the n-ball B n has a CW-structure given by one 0-cell, one (n − 1)-cell and one n-cell.
Therefore
χ(B n ) = 1 + (−1)n−1 + (−1)n = 1.

Exercise 6.4.2
By Exercise 6.1.1, we get (i = k + 1)
n n+1
n
X (n + 1)! X (n + 1)!
χ(∆ ) = (−1)k .=− (−1)i .
k=0
(k + 1)!(n − k)! i=1
i!(n + 1 − i)!

Compared with the binomial expansion

n+1
n+1
X (n + 1)!
0 = (1 + (−1)) = (−1)i ,
i=0
i!(n + 1 − i)!

we get 0 = 1 − χ(∆n ). Therefore χ(∆n ) = 1.

Alternatively, we note that ∆n is homeomorphic to B n . Then by Exercise 6.4.1, we get

χ(∆n ) = χ(B n ) = 1.

Exercise 6.4.3
A CW structure of 2T 2 consists of two 0-cells, six 1-cells and two 2-cells. Therefore

χ(2T 2 ) = 2 − 6 + 2 = −2.

Exercise 6.4.4
(1) The union of four boxes has an obvious CW-structure, similar to the obvious CW-
structure of one box (which has f0 = 8, f1 = 12, f2 = 6). In this CW-structure, we have
f0 = 18, f1 = 12 × 2 + 9 = 33, f2 = 4 × 2 + 6 × 2 = 20. Therefore χ = 18 − 33 + 20 = 5.
(2) For the ring of five projective space, we consider the more general case of n copies of
one space X connected by lines to form a cycle. We denote the space by X(n).
 X
X
X X X X X X
X
X
X(5) A A(4)

Inside X(n), we pick a copy of X and one line segment connected to it. Denote the part by
A. Then X(n) is the union of A with A(n − 1), which is n − 1 copies of A connected to form a
chain. We know X(n) = A ∪ A(n − 1), and A ∩ A(n − 1) is two points. Then A = A(1) and

χ(X(n)) = χ(A) + χ(A(n − 1)) − χ(A ∩ A(n − 1)) = χ(A) + χ(A(n − 1)) − 2.

We have A(k) = A(k − 1) ∪ A, and A(k − 1) ∩ A is a single point. Therefore

χ(A(k)) = χ(A(k − 1)) + χ(A) − χ(one point)

= χ(A(k − 1)) + χ(A) − 1 = χ(A(k − 2)) + 2(χ(A) − 1) = · · ·
= χ(A(1)) + (k − 1)(χ(A) − 1) = χ(A) + (k − 1)(χ(A) − 1) = kχ(A) − (k − 1).

We also have

χ(A) = χ(X) + χ(one line segment) − χ(one point) = χ(X) + 1 − 1 = χ(X).

Therefore

χ(X(n)) = χ(A) + χ(A(n − 1)) − 2 = χ(A) + [(n − 1)χ(A) − (n − 2)] − 2 = n(χ(A) − 1).

For the ring of five P 2 , the Euler number is 5χ(P 2 ) − 5 = 0.

(3) Let X be the square with n holes. Then the square of X ∪ nD2 , where nD2 is the
disjoint union of n disks (i.e., holes). Moreover, X ∩ nD2 = nS 1 is the disjoint union of n
circles. Therefore

χ(square) = χ(X) + nχ(D2 ) − nχ(S 1 ) = χ(X) + n · 1 − n · 0 = χ(X) + n.

Since the square has Euler number 1, we get χ(X) = 1 − n.

Exercise 6.4.5
The mapping torus is the union of

T0 = X × [0, 21 ], T1 = X × [ 12 , 1]

with T1 ∩ T0 = X × 0 ⊔ X × 21 . Therefore

χ(Tf ) = χ(X × [0, 12 ]) + χ(X × [ 12 , 1]) − χ(X × 0) − χ(X × 21 )

= χ(X)χ([0, 12 ]) + χ(X)χ([ 21 , 1]) − χ(X)χ(0) − χ(X)χ( 21 )
= χ(X)1 + χ(X)1 − χ(X)1 − χ(X)1 = 0.
Exercise 6.4.6
By χ(A ∪ B) = χ(A) + χ(B) − χ(A ∩ B) and A ∩ (B ∪ C) = (A ∩ B) ∪ (A ∩ C), we have

χ(A ∪ B ∪ C) = χ(A) + χ(B ∪ C) − χ(A ∩ (B ∪ C))

= χ(A) + χ(B) + χ(C) − χ(B ∩ C) − χ(A ∩ B) − χ(A ∩ C) + χ(A ∩ B ∩ C).

In our case, by χ(CP 2 ) = 3 and χ(S 2 ) = 2, we get

χ(A ∪ B ∪ C) = 3 + 3 + 3 − 2 − 2 − 2 + 3 = 6.