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Reidemeister torsion and 3-manifold topology
Student-Run Geometry/Topology Seminar| Speaker: | Rohit Thomas, UC Davis |
| Location: | 1147 MSB |
| Start time: | Mon, Oct 20 2008, 1:10PM |
Even in low dimensions, there exist manifolds which are homotopy equivalent but not homeomorphic. Reidemeister torsion is an invariant from algebraic topology which can sometimes distinguish between them. In this talk, I will define Reidemeister torsion and explain how it can be used in the classification of 3-manifolds. Along the way, I will introduce lens spaces and cellular homology.