A Lemma on Continuous Functions

Extract

The point of this note is to get a lemma which is useful in treating homotopy between paths in a topological space [1].

As explained in the reference, two paths joining a given pair of points in a space E are homotopic if there exists a mapping F: I x I →E (I being the closed interval [0,1] ) which deforms one path continuously into the other. In practice, when two paths are homotopic and the mapping F is constructed, then the verification of all its required properties, with the possible exception of continuity, is trivial. The snag occurs when F is a combination of two or three functions on different subsets of I x I. Then the boundary lines between these subsets have to be given special consideration, and although the problems resulting are routine their disposal can involve some tedious calculation and repetition. In the development [l] of the fundamental group of a space, for example, this sort of situation comes up four or five times.