How many topologies exist on 4 points? Any nomenclature?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the enumeration of topologies on finite sets, specifically focusing on the case of four points. Participants explore the counts of topologies for various small values of n, propose definitions for certain terms related to topology, and seek information on standard nomenclature and resources for further study.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant claims to have found 241 topologies of 21 types for n = 4 and questions the correctness of their enumeration.
  • Definitions for terms such as "ubiquitous point," "extra point," "dependent point," and "minimal neighborhood" are proposed by the same participant, aimed at creating a basis for determining topologies.
  • Another participant suggests that the discussion relates to set theory and may involve filters and combinatorics.
  • A third participant challenges the initial counts for n = 3 and n = 4, stating that there are 29 topologies of 9 types for n = 3 and 355 topologies of 33 types for n = 4.
  • A participant acknowledges the potential undercounting of topologies due to merging points that only appear together and expresses intent to reexamine their cases.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

There is no consensus on the correct counts of topologies for n = 3 and n = 4, as participants present differing numbers. The definitions proposed by the initial participant are not universally accepted or referenced in existing literature, indicating a lack of agreement on nomenclature.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights limitations in the definitions and counts provided, as well as the potential for merging points to affect topology enumeration. The reliance on specific terminologies and the absence of established references may also restrict clarity.

Cruikshank
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Just for fun, I tried enumerating the topologies on n points, for small n. I found that if the space X consists of 1 point, there is only one topology, and for n = 2, there are four topologies, although two are "isomorphic" in some sense. For n = 3, I I found 26 topologies, of 7 types. For n = 4, I found 241 topologies of 21 types.

Did I get those right? And is there a standard nomenclature? For convenience I was defining terms like
ubiquitous point--a point in every set of the topology
extra point--a point that only appears in X and no other set of the topology
dependent point--a point a depends on point b if a in O implies b is in O.
minimal neighborhood--the intersection of all open sets containing a given point (I was trying to find a way to determine an entire topology by giving a "basis" of sorts.)

Since I am only considering small finite sets, I merge mutually dependent points into "set points" (equivalence classes of points are the new points, if you will) and therefore I can make any topology into a T-zero topology, and a function from the set-points to N can preserve the information of how many points were merged.

Describing the structures, I know about discrete and indiscrete topologies, so I would refer to a 2D (discrete subtopology with two elements), a four-nested structure, and so forth. 2D,E in my notation means a topology T contains {0, a, b, ab, abc} (a discrete topology with an extra point added.)

I've proved some theorems, but I'm much better at reinventing the wheel than reading about wheels. I can't find anything on this topic under the names I guessed for it. Could someone please let me know where to find information on this? For all I know it's a computer science thing, or abstract algebra. Thanks in advance.
 
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At this level of finite sets, I think this comes down to set theory. For other questions, maybe you need to look into Filters (logic), etc. There may also be some Combinatorics involved.
 
Last edited:
Thank you, micromass! I will study those. That looks like exactly what I wanted.
(By the way, I believe my counts are low because I merged points which only appear together. I will reexamine the cases.)
 

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