Processing math: 40%

Subobject classifier

Collection

context C … category with terminal object and all pullbacks
definiendum in it
inclusion :C[,Ω]
for all mS:C[S,X] … monomorphism
postulate There is a unique arrow χS, so that the mono mS is the pullback of along χS

Elaboration

The postulate says that for any given mono mS from S to X, there is a unique arrow χS from X to the domain Ω of , such that the following completes to a pullback diagram

\require{AMScd} \begin{CD} S @>{!_S}>> * \\ @V{m_S}VV @VV{\top}V \\ X @. \Omega \end{CD}

I.e. S is a the pullback object (X\times_\Omega *) associated with the unique arrow \chi_S, which S “knows everything about”.

Theorems

Consider a locally small category {\bf C}, i.e. one where hom-classes are sets.

The hom-functor

{\mathrm{Hom}}(-,\Omega):{\bf C}\longrightarrow{\bf{Set}}

maps objects X to the set {\mathrm{Hom}}(X,\Omega), which by construction is in bijection with the subobjects of X.

Example

In {\bf{Set}}, monos are injections and a subset S\subset X exactly corresponds to the inverse image of the characteristic function. Hence, \Omega is given by a two-element set.

For example, we may choose *=\{0\}, \Omega=\{0,1\} and \top(0):=1.

\require{AMScd} \begin{CD} S @>{!_S}>> \{0\} \\ @V{m_S}VV @VV{\top}V \\ X @>{\chi_S}>> \{0,1\} \end{CD}

Going further: The information of the inclusion of elements in a subset S\subseteq X constitutes a relation \varepsilon_X via

x\in S\leftrightarrow \langle S,x\rangle\in \varepsilon_X,

where \varepsilon_X \subseteq {\mathcal P}(X)\times X. As a power set {\mathcal P}(X) is in bijection with the space of characteristic functions {\mathrm{Hom}}(X,\{0,1\})=\{0,1\}^X, the “is element of”-relation can be defined as the following pullback:

\require{AMScd} \begin{CD} \varepsilon_X @>{!}>> \{0\} \\ @VVV @VV{\top}V \\ \{0,1\}^X\times X @>{\mathrm{eval}}>> \{0,1\} \end{CD}

Reference

Wikipedia: Subobject classifier


Requirements

Terminal morphism, Monomorphism