Whitehead group in mathematics may mean:
- A group W with Ext(W, Z)=0; see Whitehead problem
- For a ring, the Whitehead group Wh(A) of a ring A, equal to
- For a group, the Whitehead group Wh(G) of a group G, equal to K1(Z)/{±G}. Note that this is a quotient of the Whitehead group of the group ring.
- The Whitehead group Wh(A) of a simplicial complex or PL-manifold A, equal to Wh(π1(A)); see Whitehead torsion.
All named after J. H. C. Whitehead.
Famous quotes containing the words whitehead and/or group:
“Life is an offensive, directed against the repetitious mechanism of the Universe.”
—Alfred North Whitehead (1861–1947)
“We begin with friendships, and all our youth is a reconnoitering and recruiting of the holy fraternity they shall combine for the salvation of men. But so the remoter stars seem a nebula of united light, yet there is no group which a telescope will not resolve; and the dearest friends are separated by impassable gulfs.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)