Degree of a map on the circle via homology definition

algebraic-topology

Suppose I have a map $f\colon S^1\rightarrow S^1$ that takes $S^1$ and wraps it around itself two times. Intuitively, I would expect this map to have degree two, so if $[\alpha]$ is the generator for $H_1(S^1)$, then $f_*[\alpha]$ is two times the generator $[\alpha]$.

But in the image, the element $2[\alpha]$ is a formal sum of $\alpha$ with itself, where $\alpha$ is the map that takes $I$ to one wrap around $S^1$. But $f_*[\alpha]$, on the other hand, is represented by the element that takes $I$ to wrapping two times around $S^1$. It is unclear to me, algebraically, how they are the same element. Intuitively, the $+$ operation kind of glues them the two $\alpha$ elements together to form $f_*[\alpha]$, but I'm not exactly sure how the proper identification is made.

And if the identification is possible, is there an easy generalization to the map $f_n\colon S^1\rightarrow S^1$ that takes a circle and wraps it around itself $n$ times?

Best Answer

If you denote by $*$ the multiplication of loops $S^1 \to X$, then in $H_1(X)$ you have $[a*b]$ = $[a] + [b]$. To see that, consider the map $H: \Delta^2 \xrightarrow{d_1} \Delta^1 \xrightarrow{a*b} X,$ where $d_1$ is the projection on the side opposite to $1$-st vertex. It witnesses the desired equality, because $\partial H = a - a*b + b \in C^1(X), $ so that on homology level $a + b$ is the same as $a*b.$ In particular $[n-$fold loop $a]$ is the same as $n[a]$.

More generally, for two pointed maps $f,g: S^n \to X,$ from the homotopy invariance it is not very hard to deduce that for $f \vee g: S^n \to S^n \vee S^n \xrightarrow{(f,g)} X,$ one has $(f \vee g)_* = f_* + g_*.$