Topology

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Topology is the study of how spaces are organized, how the objects are structured in terms of position. It also studies how spaces are connected. It is divided into algebraic topology, differential topology and geometric topology.

A Möbius strip, a surface with only one side and one edge; such shapes are an object of study in topology.
A Möbius strip, a surface with only one side and one edge; such shapes are an object of study in topology.

Topology has sometimes been called rubber-sheet geometry, because in topology there is no difference between a circle and a square (a circle made out of a rubber band can be stretched into a square) but there is a difference between a circle and a figure eight (you cannot stretch a figure eight into a circle without tearing). The spaces studied in topology are called topological spaces. They vary from familiar manifolds to some very exotic constructions.