Category talk:Topology

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Is Topology considered a branch of geometry?

Is Topology considered a branch of geometry? Brad7777 (talk) 23:57, 14 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Not according to topology which identifies it as "a major area of mathematics", i.e. in its own right. Not according to how I learned it at university either, where it was a standalone topic taught independently of pretty much everything else at that level.

You may find it's difficult to get much of a discussion here as category pages are not edited by many editors so few editors watch them and will participate in such a discussion. In addition edits to categories often show up on multiple pages (the category being edited and any it is added to or removed from by the edit), making it difficult to determine where the best place is to hold any such discussion. So it may be best to discuss such issues on another page such as the maths project talk page.--JohnBlackburne^words_deeds 00:19, 15 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

"Not according to topology which identifies it as "a major area of mathematics", i.e. in its own right." that doesn't really answer the question, as it doesnt matter if topology is a major area of mathematics, to whether it is a branch of geometry. see Category:Topology and Geometry which both say it is specifically a branch of geometry." are there any references to say that Topology is not a branch of Geometry or that it is?

This seems like good place to ask the question because it is relevant to the category due to its summary. Feel free to link it from WT:WPM Brad7777 (talk) 11:55, 15 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The AMS and ICM classifications do not consider topology to be a branch of geometry. Also, I think many readers would be surprised to find topology as a subcategory of geometry, and would instead expect it to be in the Category:Fields of mathematics. At my university, our topology group is totally distinct from our geometry group, although certain individuals are members of both groups. The same is true of our articles. If, as you seem to believe, some readers would be expecting to find it in Category:Geometry (or vice versa), then I have no problem with you adding it to both categories. Sławomir Biały (talk) 13:05, 15 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]