In
homological algebra
Homological algebra is the branch of mathematics that studies homology (mathematics), homology in a general algebraic setting. It is a relatively young discipline, whose origins can be traced to investigations in combinatorial topology (a precurs ...
, the mapping cone is a construction on a map of
chain complexes
In mathematics, a chain complex is an algebraic structure that consists of a sequence of abelian groups (or module (mathematics), modules) and a sequence of group homomorphism, homomorphisms between consecutive groups such that the image (mathemati ...
inspired by the
analogous construction in topology. In the theory of
triangulated categories In mathematics, a triangulated category is a category with the additional structure of a "translation functor" and a class of "exact triangles". Prominent examples are the derived category of an abelian category, as well as the stable homotopy cate ...
it is a kind of combined
kernel
Kernel may refer to:
Computing
* Kernel (operating system), the central component of most operating systems
* Kernel (image processing), a matrix used for image convolution
* Compute kernel, in GPGPU programming
* Kernel method, in machine learnin ...
and
cokernel
The cokernel of a linear mapping of vector spaces is the quotient space of the codomain of by the image of . The dimension of the cokernel is called the ''corank'' of .
Cokernels are dual to the kernels of category theory, hence the name: ...
: if the chain complexes take their terms in an
abelian category
In mathematics, an abelian category is a category in which morphisms and objects can be added and in which kernels and cokernels exist and have desirable properties. The motivating prototypical example of an abelian category is the category of ab ...
, so that we can talk about
cohomology
In mathematics, specifically in homology theory and algebraic topology, cohomology is a general term for a sequence of abelian groups, usually one associated with a topological space, often defined from a cochain complex. Cohomology can be viewe ...
, then the cone of a map ''f'' being
acyclic means that the map is a
quasi-isomorphism
In homological algebra, a branch of mathematics, a quasi-isomorphism or quism is a morphism ''A'' → ''B'' of chain complexes (respectively, cochain complexes) such that the induced morphisms
:H_n(A_\bullet) \to H_n(B_\bullet)\ (\text H^n(A^\bull ...
; if we pass to the
derived category
In mathematics, the derived category ''D''(''A'') of an abelian category ''A'' is a construction of homological algebra introduced to refine and in a certain sense to simplify the theory of derived functors defined on ''A''. The construction proce ...
of complexes, this means that ''f'' is an isomorphism there, which recalls the familiar property of maps of
group
A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together.
Groups of people
* Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity
* Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...
s,
modules over a ring, or elements of an arbitrary abelian category that if the kernel and cokernel both vanish, then the map is an isomorphism. If we are working in a
t-category, then in fact the cone furnishes both the kernel and cokernel of maps between objects of its core.
Definition
The cone may be defined in the category of
cochain complexes over any
additive category
In mathematics, specifically in category theory, an additive category is a preadditive category C admitting all finitary biproducts.
Definition
A category C is preadditive if all its hom-sets are abelian groups and composition of m ...
(i.e., a category whose morphisms form abelian groups and in which we may construct a
direct sum
The direct sum is an operation between structures in abstract algebra, a branch of mathematics. It is defined differently, but analogously, for different kinds of structures. To see how the direct sum is used in abstract algebra, consider a more ...
of any two objects). Let
be two complexes, with differentials
i.e.,
:
and likewise for
For a map of complexes
we define the cone, often denoted by
or
to be the following complex:
:
on terms,
with differential
:
(acting as though on
column vector
In linear algebra, a column vector with m elements is an m \times 1 matrix consisting of a single column of m entries, for example,
\boldsymbol = \begin x_1 \\ x_2 \\ \vdots \\ x_m \end.
Similarly, a row vector is a 1 \times n matrix for some n, c ...
s).
Here