Hatcher-Algebraic-Topology · Problem 1.3.13

The Fundamental Group

Mathematics — Graph Theory · covering-spaces

Problem

Determine the covering space of S1∨S1S^1 \vee S^1 corresponding to the subgroup of π1(S1∨S1)\pi_1(S^1 \vee S^1) generated by the cubes of all elements. The covering space is 27-sheeted and can be drawn on a torus so that the complementary regions are nine triangles with edges labeled aaaaaa, nine triangles with edges labeled bbbbbb, and nine hexagons with edges labeled abababababab. [For the analogous problem with sixth powers instead of cubes, the resulting covering space would have 2283252^{28}3^{25} sheets! And for kthk^{th} powers with kk sufficiently large, the covering space would have infinitely many sheets. The underlying group theory question here, whether the quotient of Z∗Z\mathbb{Z} * \mathbb{Z} obtained by factoring out all kthk^{th} powers is finite, is known as Burnside's problem. It can also be asked for a free group on nn generators.]

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