The Euler characteristic is a fundamental topological invariant that provides important insights into the shape and structure of surfaces. It is denoted by the symbol and is defined for a compact surface as:
where is the number of vertices, is the number of edges, and is the number of faces in a polyhedral representation of the surface. The Euler characteristic can also be calculated using the formula:
where is the number of handles (genus) of the surface and is the number of boundary components. For example, a sphere has an Euler characteristic of , while a torus has . This characteristic helps in classifying surfaces and understanding their properties in topology, as it remains invariant under continuous deformations.
Start your personalized study experience with acemate today. Sign up for free and find summaries and mock exams for your university.