MAHIMA RANJAN ADHIKARI, Ph.D., [...]. (Gold Medalist), is the founder president of the Institute for Mathematics, Bioinformatics and Computer Science (IMBIC), Kolkata, India. He is a former professor at the Department of Pure Mathematics, University of Calcutta, India. His research papers are published in national and international journals of repute, including the Proceedings of American Mathematical Society. He has authored nine textbooks and is the editor of two, including: Basic Modern Algebra with Applications (Springer, 2014), Basic Algebraic Topology and Applications (Springer, 2016), and Mathematical and Statistical Applications in Life Sciences and Engineering (Springer, 2017).
Twelve students have been awarded Ph.D. degree under his guidance on various topics such as algebra, algebraic topology, category theory, geometry, analysis, graph theory, knot theory and history of mathematics. He has visited several universities and research institutions in India, USA, UK, Japan, China, Greece, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, and many other counties on invitation. A member of the American Mathematical Society, Prof. Adhikari is on the editorial board of several journals of repute. He was elected as the president of the Mathematical Sciences Section (including Statistics) of the 95th Indian Science Congress, 2008. He has successfully completed research projects funded by the Government of India.

Discusses the basic concepts of algebraic topology with numerous related illustrations and applications

Approaches the topic nearly "from scratch" and accompanies students through its natural development

Provides examples and step-by-step instructions and explains problem-solving techniques for a better grasp of the topic

Integrates various concepts of algebraic topology, examples, exercises, applications, and historical notes

Reveals the importance of algebraic topology in contemporary mathematics, theoretical physics, computer science, chemistry, economics, and the biological and medical sciences, and encourages students to pursue further study

Includes supplementary material: [...]

Prerequisite Concepts and Notations.- Basic Homotopy.- The Fundamental Groups.-Covering Spaces.- Fibre Bundles, Vector Bundles and K-theory.- Geometry of Simplicial Complexes and Fundamental Groups.- Higher Homotopy Groups.- Products in Higher Homotopy Groups.- CW-complexes and Homotopy.- Eilenberg-MacLane Spaces.- Homology and Cohomology Theories.- Eilenberg-Steenrod Axioms for Homology and Cohomology Theories.- Consequences of the Eilenberg-Steenrod Axioms.- Some Applications of Homology Theory.- Spectral Homology and Cohomology Theories.- Obstruction Theory.- More Relations Between Homotopy and Homology Groups.- A Brief Historical Note.