A new combinatorial foundation of the two concepts, based on a consideration of deep and classical results of homotopy theory, and an axiomatic characterization of the assumptions under which results in this field hold. Includes numerous explicit examples and applications in various fields of topology and algebra.

Basic work on two-dimensional homotopy theory dates back to K. Reidemeister and J. H. C. Whitehead. Much work in this area has been done since then, and this book considers the current state of knowledge in all the aspects of the subject. The editors start with introductory chapters on low-dimensional topology, covering both the geometric and algebraic sides of the subject, the latter including crossed modules, Reidemeister-Peiffer identities, and a concrete and modern discussion of Whitehead's algebraic classification of 2-dimensional homotopy types. Further chapters have been skilfully selected and woven together to form a coherent picture. The latest algebraic results and their applications to 3- and 4-dimensional manifolds are dealt with. The geometric nature of the subject is illustrated to the full by over 100 diagrams. Final chapters summarize and contribute to the present status of the conjectures of Zeeman, Whitehead, and Andrews-Curtis. No other book covers all these topics. Some of the material here has been used in courses, making this book valuable for anyone with an interest in two-dimensional homotopy theory, from graduate students to research workers.

The bulk of the book is devoted to the algebraic theory of quadratic modules and their connections with 4-dimensional complexes, Pontrjagin squares, homotopy groups, the cohomology of categories, and algebraic K-theory. The first three chapters provide the background needed and may serve as an introduction to basic combinatorial homotopy theory. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This volume consists of introductory lectures on the topics in the new and rapidly developing area of toric homotopy theory, and its applications to the current research in configuration spaces and braids, as well as to more applicable mathematics such as fr-codes and robot motion planning. The book starts intertwining homotopy theoretical and combinatorial ideas within the remits of toric topology and illustrates an attempt to classify in a combinatorial way polytopes known as fullerenes, which are important objects in quantum physics, quantum chemistry and nanotechnology. Toric homotopy theory is then introduced as a further development of toric topology, which describes properties of Davis–Januszkiewicz spaces, moment-angle complexes and their generalizations to polyhedral products. The book also displays the current research on configuration spaces, braids, the theory of limits over the category of presentations and the theory of fr-codes. As an application to robotics, the book surveys topological problems relevant to the motion planning problem of robotics and includes new results and constructions, which enrich the emerging area of topological robotics. The book is at research entry level addressing the core components in homotopy theory and their important applications in the sciences and thus suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students. Contents: Toric Homotopy Theory (Stephen Theriault)Fullerenes, Polytopes and Toric Topology (Victor M Buchstaber and Nikolay Yu Erokhovets)Around Braids (Vladimir Vershinin)Higher Limits, Homology Theories and fr-Codes (Sergei O Ivanov and Roman Mikhailov)Configuration Spaces and Robot Motion Planning Algorithms (Michael Farber)Cellular Stratified Spaces (Dai Tamaki) Readership: Advanced undergraduate and graduate students as well as researchers interested in homotopy theory and its applications in the sciences. Keywords: Toric Topology;Toric Homotopy;Configuration Space;Stratified Spaces;Braid Group;Fullerene;Polytope;Virtual Braid Group;Thompson Group;Robotics;Motion PlanningReview: Key Features: The first book in the area of toric homotopy theory consisting of introductory lectures on the topics and their applications to fr-codes and robot motion planning

Presents the current state of knowledge in all aspects of two-dimensional homotopy theory. Useful for both students and experts.

This volume is the first comprehensive treatment of combinatorial algebraic topology in book form. The first part of the book constitutes a swift walk through the main tools of algebraic topology. Readers - graduate students and working mathematicians alike - will probably find particularly useful the second part, which contains an in-depth discussion of the major research techniques of combinatorial algebraic topology. Although applications are sprinkled throughout the second part, they are principal focus of the third part, which is entirely devoted to developing the topological structure theory for graph homomorphisms.