Attaching a disk $D^2$ along the boundary circle to a circle $S^1.$

algebraic-topologyfundamental-groupsgeneral-topologyknot-theorypushforward

Let $Y$ be the space obtained by attaching a disk $D^2$ along the boundary circle to a circle $S^1$ by a map that wraps the boundary circle around the other circle 3 times, i.e., the following square is a pushout.
$$\require{AMScd}
\begin{CD}
\mathbb{S}^1 @>{\text{inclusion}}>> \mathbb{D}^2\\
@VVV @VVV \\
\mathbb{S}^1 @>{}>> Y
\end{CD}$$

Calculate $\pi_{1}(Y).$

My questions

  1. I do not understand the statement: "by attaching a disk $D^2$ along the boundary circle" what do the question mean by $along the boundary$? does it mean tangentially? Also, are there other ways of attaching a disk?
  2. I feel like I should use Van Kampen theorem but I do not know how to divide my space $Y$ into union path-connected open sets each containing the basepoint $y_{0} \in Y$?

Could anyone help me in answering these questions please?

Best Answer

Suppose we have a closed disc $\bar{D}^2$ whose boundary $\partial D^2$ is attached to a circle $S^1$ by a map $\gamma:\partial D^2\to S^1$ that wraps $\partial D^2$ in total $n$ times around $S^1$. We call the resulting space $Y_n$.

Let $U$ and $V$ be open subsets of $Y_n$ defined as follows. The set $U$ is given by $(U\cap D^2)\cup S^1$, where $D^2$ is the interior of $\bar{D}^2$, and $U\cap D^2$ is a narrow strip on the outer edge of $D^2$ (so that $\partial(U\cup D^2)$ contains $\partial D^2$). The set $V$ is just $D^2$.

Decomposition of the Given Topological Space

My awful picture may help explain this. The space $Y_n$ (on the left, where the orange arrows denote the attaching map $\gamma$) is the union of $U$ (the yellow subset) and $V$ (the pink subset).

Note that each of $U$ and $U\cap V$ has a deformation retract to just $S^1$, but $V$ is contractible. That is $\pi_1(U)\cong\Bbb Z$, $\pi_1(V)\cong\{1\}$, and $\pi_1(U\cap V)\cong \Bbb Z$. Now observe that $\pi_1(U\cap V)\to \pi_1(U)$ is given by multiplication by $n$ because each simple loop in $U\cap V$ wraps $n$ times around $S^1$ (and $\pi(U\cap V)\to \pi_1(V)$ is trivial). By van Kampen's theorem, $$\pi_1(Y_n)=\pi_1(U)\underset{\pi_1(U\cap V)}{*}\pi_1(V)\cong (\Bbb Z*\{1\})/(n\Bbb Z)\cong \Bbb Z/n\Bbb Z.$$ Indeed, we can see that $\pi_1(Y_n)$ is generated by a generator $g$ of $\pi_1(S^1)$. When you have a loop homotopic to $ng$, it is homotopic to $\partial D^2$, and can then be contracted along $\bar{D}^2$ to a point.

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