Whitehead theorem
When a mapping that induces isomorphisms on all homotopy groups is a homotopy equivalence / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Not to be confused with Whitehead problem or Whitehead conjecture.
In homotopy theory (a branch of mathematics), the Whitehead theorem states that if a continuous mapping f between CW complexes X and Y induces isomorphisms on all homotopy groups, then f is a homotopy equivalence. This result was proved by J. H. C. Whitehead in two landmark papers from 1949, and provides a justification for working with the concept of a CW complex that he introduced there. It is a model result of algebraic topology, in which the behavior of certain algebraic invariants (in this case, homotopy groups) determines a topological property of a mapping.