Euler Characteristic - Examples

Examples

The Euler characteristic can be calculated easily for general surfaces by finding a polygonization of the surface (that is, a description as a CW-complex) and using the above definitions.

Name Image Euler characteristic
Interval 1
Circle 0
Disk 1
Sphere 2
Torus
(Product of two circles)
0
Double torus −2
Triple torus −4
Real projective plane 1
Möbius strip 0
Klein bottle 0
Two spheres (not connected)
(Disjoint union of two spheres)
2 + 2 = 4
Three spheres (not connected)
(Disjoint union of three spheres)
2 + 2 + 2 = 6

Any contractible space (that is, one homotopy equivalent to a point) has trivial homology, meaning that the 0th Betti number is 1 and the others 0. Therefore its Euler characteristic is 1. This case includes Euclidean space of any dimension, as well as the solid unit ball in any Euclidean space — the one-dimensional interval, the two-dimensional disk, the three-dimensional ball, etc.

The n-dimensional sphere has Betti number 1 in dimensions 0 and n, and all other Betti numbers 0. Hence its Euler characteristic is — that is, either 0 or 2.

The n-dimensional real projective space is the quotient of the n-sphere by the antipodal map. It follows that its Euler characteristic is exactly half that of the corresponding sphere — either 0 or 1.

The n-dimensional torus is the product space of n circles. Its Euler characteristic is 0, by the product property.

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