Review article on the role of visualisation in mathematics conceptualisation and learning

Visualisation is a natural element at the root of mathematical thought, in the discovery of relations between mathematical objects, and in the transmission and communication of mathematics. This review focuses on the introductory chapter of one of the most famous books on this topic, by a widely published writer on pedagogy of mathematics, discussing at the same time implications for undergraduate teaching in the subject

On K_1 of a Waldhausen category

We give a simple representation of all elements in K_1 of a Waldhausen category and prove relations between these representatives which hold in K_1

Unital associahedra

We construct a topological cellular operad such that the algebras over its cellular chains are the homotopy unital A-infinity algebras of Fukaya-Oh-Ohta-Ono.Comment: 22 pages, EPS color figure

On determinant functors and KK-theory

In this paper we introduce a new approach to determinant functors which allows us to extend Deligne's determinant functors for exact categories to Waldhausen categories, (strongly) triangulated categories, and derivators. We construct universal determinant functors in all cases by original methods which are interesting even for the known cases. Moreover, we show that the target of each universal determinant functor computes the corresponding $K$-theory in dimensions 0 and 1. As applications, we answer open questions by Maltsiniotis and Neeman on the $K$-theory of (strongly) triangulated categories and a question of Grothendieck to Knudsen on determinant functors. We also prove additivity theorems for low-dimensional $K$-theory and obtain generators and (some) relations for various $K_{1}$-groups.Comment: 73 pages. We have deeply revised the paper to make it more accessible, it contains now explicit examples and computations. We have removed the part on localization, it was correct but we didn't want to make the paper longer and we thought this part was the less interesting one. Nevertheless it will remain here in the arXiv, in version 1. If you need it in your research, please let us kno

Decomposition spaces, incidence algebras and M\"obius inversion III: the decomposition space of M\"obius intervals

Decomposition spaces are simplicial $\infty$-groupoids subject to a certain exactness condition, needed to induce a coalgebra structure on the space of arrows. Conservative ULF functors (CULF) between decomposition spaces induce coalgebra homomorphisms. Suitable added finiteness conditions define the notion of M\"obius decomposition space, a far-reaching generalisation of the notion of M\"obius category of Leroux. In this paper, we show that the Lawvere-Menni Hopf algebra of M\"obius intervals, which contains the universal M\"obius function (but is not induced by a M\"obius category), can be realised as the homotopy cardinality of a M\"obius decomposition space $U$ of all M\"obius intervals, and that in a certain sense $U$ is universal for M\"obius decomposition spaces and CULF functors.Comment: 35 pages. This paper is one of six papers that formerly constituted the long manuscript arXiv:1404.3202. v3: minor expository improvements. Final version to appear in Adv. Mat

Decomposition spaces in combinatorics

A decomposition space (also called unital 2-Segal space) is a simplicial object satisfying an exactness condition weaker than the Segal condition: just as the Segal condition expresses (up to homotopy) composition, the new condition expresses decomposition. It is a general framework for incidence (co)algebras. In the present contribution, after establishing a formula for the section coefficients, we survey a large supply of examples, emphasising the notion's firm roots in classical combinatorics. The first batch of examples, similar to binomial posets, serves to illustrate two key points: (1) the incidence algebra in question is realised directly from a decomposition space, without a reduction step, and reductions are often given by CULF functors; (2) at the objective level, the convolution algebra is a monoidal structure of species. Specifically, we encounter the usual Cauchy product of species, the shuffle product of L-species, the Dirichlet product of arithmetic species, the Joyal-Street external product of q-species and the Morrison `Cauchy' product of q-species, and in each case a power series representation results from taking cardinality. The external product of q-species exemplifies the fact that Waldhausen's S-construction on an abelian category is a decomposition space, yielding Hall algebras. The next class of examples includes Schmitt's chromatic Hopf algebra, the Fa\`a di Bruno bialgebra, the Butcher-Connes-Kreimer Hopf algebra of trees and several variations from operad theory. Similar structures on posets and directed graphs exemplify a general construction of decomposition spaces from directed restriction species. We finish by computing the M\Preprin

Three Hopf algebras from number theory, physics & topology, and their common background I: operadic & simplicial aspects

We consider three a priori totally different setups for Hopf algebras from number theory, mathematical physics and algebraic topology. These are the Hopf algebra of Goncharov for multiple zeta values, that of Connes-Kreimer for renormalization, and a Hopf algebra constructed by Baues to study double loop spaces. We show that these examples can be successively unified by considering simplicial objects, co-operads with multiplication and Feynman categories at the ultimate level. These considerations open the door to new constructions and reinterpretations of known constructions in a large common framework, which is presented step-by-step with examples throughout. In this first part of two papers, we concentrate on the simplicial and operadic aspects.Comment: This replacement is part I of the final version of the paper, which has been split into two parts. The second part is available from the arXiv under the title "Three Hopf algebras from number theory, physics & topology, and their common background II: general categorical formulation" arXiv:2001.0872