Key Definitions in Category Theory
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October 31, 2024
1 Introduction
This document provides key definitions in category theory, along with examples
for each concept.
2 Category
A category consists of two primary components: objects and morphisms (ar-
rows).
• Objects: These are the entities in the category.
• Morphisms: Arrows between objects that preserve structure.
These components must satisfy two main axioms: composition of morphisms
and identity morphisms.
2.1 Example: Sets
Consider the category Set, where:
• Objects are sets.
• Morphisms are functions between sets.
For any three sets A, B, and C, if there are functions f : A → B and g : B → C,
their composition is g ◦ f : A → C. The identity morphism for a set A is the
identity function idA : A → A.
3 Subcategory
A subcategory D of a category C is a category where:
• Objects of D are a subset of the objects of C.
• Morphisms of D are a subset of the morphisms of C, such that composition
and identity morphisms are preserved.
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3.1 Example: Ab within Grp
The category Ab of abelian groups is a subcategory of the category Grp of
groups, where:
• Objects of Ab are abelian groups, which are groups where the group
operation is commutative.
• Morphisms of Ab are group homomorphisms between abelian groups.
4 Functor
A functor F between two categories C and D is a mapping that:
• Maps each object in C to an object in D.
• Maps each morphism in C to a morphism in D, such that identities and
compositions are preserved.
4.1 Example: Forgetful Functor
A common example is the forgetful functor U : Grp → Set, where:
• Objects: U maps each group to its underlying set.
• Morphisms: U maps each group homomorphism to its underlying func-
tion between sets.
5 Natural Transformation
Given two functors F, G : C → D, a natural transformation η is a collection
of morphisms ηX : F (X) → G(X) for each object X in C, such that for any
morphism f : X → Y in C, the following diagram commutes:
G(f ) ◦ ηX = ηY ◦ F (f )
5.1 Example: Double Dualization
Consider the category of finite-dimensional vector spaces over a field, Vect. The
double dualization functor is naturally isomorphic to the identity functor. For
each vector space V , there is a natural transformation ηV : V → V ∗∗ that maps
each vector to its image under double dualization.
6 Isomorphism
Two objects A and B in a category are isomorphic if there exist morphisms
f : A → B and g : B → A such that g ◦ f = idA and f ◦ g = idB .
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6.1 Example: Vector Spaces
Let V = R2 and W = R2 . Define a linear transformation T : V → W by
T (x, y) = (2x, 3y).
The inverse is given by T −1 (a, b) = a2 , 3b . Since these are inverses, V and
W are isomorphic vector spaces.
