Math 545/546: Topology and Geometry of Manifolds

John M. Lee

Winter/Spring 2000, MWF 1:30-2:20


This course continues the study of manifolds begun in Math 544.  For these two quarters, the subject will be smooth or differentiable manifolds, which are manifolds on which derivatives of functions and maps make sense.  We will study the basic flora and fauna that live on them: submanifolds, tangent vectors, vector fields, flows, Riemannian metrics and their simple properties, tensor fields, differential forms, orientations. The basic theory and examples of Lie groups (which are groups that are also manifolds) will be woven throughout the course.

Text: Introduction to Smooth Manifolds, notes by the instructor; these will be handed out week by week during the course.

Prerequisites: Math 544 and the following undergraduate topics:

Homework and grading: Grades will be based on weekly problem sets and a final exam.