MATH 4530
Introduction to Topology
Topology may be described briefly as qualitative geometry. This course begins with basic point-set topology, including connectedness, compactness, and metric spaces. Later topics may include the classification of surfaces (such as the Klein bottle and Möbius band), elementary knot theory, or the fundamental group and covering spaces. Students will be expected to be comfortable writing proofs. More experience with proofs may be gained by first taking a 3000-level MATH course.
fall 2026
Readings
- Armstrong, M. A., Basic Topology , Springer, 2013 (ISBN: 978-0-387-90839-7) — free e-book through the Cornell Math Library
- Steen and Seebach, Counterexamples in Topology 2nd edition , Springer, 1978 (ISBN: 978-0-387-90312-5) — free e-book through the Cornell Math Library
Prerequisites & course information
MATH 2210 or MATH 2230 or MATH 2310 or MATH 2940 or equivalent.