[Math] What does the “evenly” in the term “evenly covered neighborhood” signify

algebraic-topologycovering-spacesterminology

Why, in the definition of covering spaces, are evenly covered neighborhoods called this instead of the more obvious covered neighborhoods? (which also corresponds better to the root/ancestral terms "covering space" and "covering map")

Let $p: C \to X$ be a continuous surjective map between two topological spaces. Then a neighborhood $U \subset X$ is called an evenly covered neighborhood if $p^{-1}(U)$ is the disjoint union of open subsets of $U$, call them $C_i$, such that $p|_{C_i}$, $p$ restricted to any one of the $C_i$, is a homeomorphism between that $C_i$ and $U$.

In other words, if the preimage of $U$ under $p$ is the disjoint union of sets homeomorphic to $U$ under $p$.

Is there some type of regularity or niceness or naturalness inherent to this definition that is lacking from some more general definition? Or would I not be abusing terminology if I called "evenly covered neighborhoods" just "covered neighborhoods"?

Best Answer

Because $p:C\to X$ is surjective and continuous, every open set $U$ in $X$ is covered by its preimage $p^{-1}(U)$ (which is open): here covered means that $p(V)=U$. The adjective evenly is used to mean that $p^{-1}(U)$ is a disjoint union of open sets $U_i$, all homeomorphic to $U$ under $p$; that is, each $p:U_i \longrightarrow U$ an homeomorphism.

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