Confused about definition: “Pointwise Equalizer”

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I am reading these notes on topos theory, and I have a small confusion about Proposition 1.16 on page 12.



What is the difference between a "pointwise equalizer" ($K$ in proposition 1.16) and the standard notion of equalizer in category theory? Is the only difference that, in the pointwise case, we are dealing with morphisms in a functor space?



A great answer would clarify the idea of "pointwise computation of limits" and the definition of a pointwise equalizer.



Thank you!







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    I am reading these notes on topos theory, and I have a small confusion about Proposition 1.16 on page 12.



    What is the difference between a "pointwise equalizer" ($K$ in proposition 1.16) and the standard notion of equalizer in category theory? Is the only difference that, in the pointwise case, we are dealing with morphisms in a functor space?



    A great answer would clarify the idea of "pointwise computation of limits" and the definition of a pointwise equalizer.



    Thank you!







    share|cite|improve this question





















      up vote
      0
      down vote

      favorite









      up vote
      0
      down vote

      favorite











      I am reading these notes on topos theory, and I have a small confusion about Proposition 1.16 on page 12.



      What is the difference between a "pointwise equalizer" ($K$ in proposition 1.16) and the standard notion of equalizer in category theory? Is the only difference that, in the pointwise case, we are dealing with morphisms in a functor space?



      A great answer would clarify the idea of "pointwise computation of limits" and the definition of a pointwise equalizer.



      Thank you!







      share|cite|improve this question











      I am reading these notes on topos theory, and I have a small confusion about Proposition 1.16 on page 12.



      What is the difference between a "pointwise equalizer" ($K$ in proposition 1.16) and the standard notion of equalizer in category theory? Is the only difference that, in the pointwise case, we are dealing with morphisms in a functor space?



      A great answer would clarify the idea of "pointwise computation of limits" and the definition of a pointwise equalizer.



      Thank you!









      share|cite|improve this question










      share|cite|improve this question




      share|cite|improve this question









      asked Jul 14 at 19:44









      Aurel

      394210




      394210




















          1 Answer
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          If you have a small category $C$ and a category $D$, you can consider the functor category $D^C$.



          In this category you can wonder what limits look like. The basic toy example is the product : given two functors $F,G: Cto D$, what might their product look like ?



          Well it turns out that if $D$ has products, then $Ftimes G$ is computed pointwise (where "pointwise" refers to the objects of $C$ as points); that is for any object $cin C, (Ftimes G)(c) = F(c)times G(c)$ (this second product being in $D$); and it's actually easy to see that this new functor (with the obvious definition on arrows) is actually the product of $F$ and $G$.



          We say "pointwise", just like, say, for functions $f,g: Xto mathbbR$ we'd say that their "pointwise product" is $xmapsto f(x)g(x)$.



          Now of course this generalizes to any shape of diagram : if $I$ is a small category such that $D$ has all limits of diagrams of shape $I$, then $D^C$ does as well, and those limits are "computed pointwise". More precisely, if $G: Ito D^C$ is such a diagram, then for $c$ an object of $C$, $(mathrmLim G)(c) =mathrmLim G_c$ where $G_c$ is the functor $Ito D$ defined on objects by $G_c(i) = G(i)(c)$ (and obviously on arrows)



          Applying this to the category $I$ defining equalizer diagrams, or product diagrams, or any small $I$ yields the notion of pointwise computation.



          What should not be misunderstood is : $D^C$ might have limits of shape $I$ without $D$ having them. In particular, there may be two functors $F,G$ with a product $Ftimes G$ such that $(Ftimes G)(c)$ is not a product of $F(c), G(c)$: this can happen if $D$ doesn't have all products.



          In the context of topos theory, we'll often have $D= Set$ which has all small limits (and colimits- of course the above applies to colimits as well), and so for any small $C$, limits are "computed pointwise" in $Set^C$. In particular this means that the equalizer of $f,g : Fto G$ will be defined for an object $c$ in $C$ as $xin F(c)mid f_c(x)=g_c(x)$.






          share|cite|improve this answer





















          • Great, thanks. I’m glad to know my assumption was not mistaken.
            – Aurel
            Jul 15 at 3:53










          Your Answer




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          1 Answer
          1






          active

          oldest

          votes








          1 Answer
          1






          active

          oldest

          votes









          active

          oldest

          votes






          active

          oldest

          votes








          up vote
          2
          down vote



          accepted










          If you have a small category $C$ and a category $D$, you can consider the functor category $D^C$.



          In this category you can wonder what limits look like. The basic toy example is the product : given two functors $F,G: Cto D$, what might their product look like ?



          Well it turns out that if $D$ has products, then $Ftimes G$ is computed pointwise (where "pointwise" refers to the objects of $C$ as points); that is for any object $cin C, (Ftimes G)(c) = F(c)times G(c)$ (this second product being in $D$); and it's actually easy to see that this new functor (with the obvious definition on arrows) is actually the product of $F$ and $G$.



          We say "pointwise", just like, say, for functions $f,g: Xto mathbbR$ we'd say that their "pointwise product" is $xmapsto f(x)g(x)$.



          Now of course this generalizes to any shape of diagram : if $I$ is a small category such that $D$ has all limits of diagrams of shape $I$, then $D^C$ does as well, and those limits are "computed pointwise". More precisely, if $G: Ito D^C$ is such a diagram, then for $c$ an object of $C$, $(mathrmLim G)(c) =mathrmLim G_c$ where $G_c$ is the functor $Ito D$ defined on objects by $G_c(i) = G(i)(c)$ (and obviously on arrows)



          Applying this to the category $I$ defining equalizer diagrams, or product diagrams, or any small $I$ yields the notion of pointwise computation.



          What should not be misunderstood is : $D^C$ might have limits of shape $I$ without $D$ having them. In particular, there may be two functors $F,G$ with a product $Ftimes G$ such that $(Ftimes G)(c)$ is not a product of $F(c), G(c)$: this can happen if $D$ doesn't have all products.



          In the context of topos theory, we'll often have $D= Set$ which has all small limits (and colimits- of course the above applies to colimits as well), and so for any small $C$, limits are "computed pointwise" in $Set^C$. In particular this means that the equalizer of $f,g : Fto G$ will be defined for an object $c$ in $C$ as $xin F(c)mid f_c(x)=g_c(x)$.






          share|cite|improve this answer





















          • Great, thanks. I’m glad to know my assumption was not mistaken.
            – Aurel
            Jul 15 at 3:53














          up vote
          2
          down vote



          accepted










          If you have a small category $C$ and a category $D$, you can consider the functor category $D^C$.



          In this category you can wonder what limits look like. The basic toy example is the product : given two functors $F,G: Cto D$, what might their product look like ?



          Well it turns out that if $D$ has products, then $Ftimes G$ is computed pointwise (where "pointwise" refers to the objects of $C$ as points); that is for any object $cin C, (Ftimes G)(c) = F(c)times G(c)$ (this second product being in $D$); and it's actually easy to see that this new functor (with the obvious definition on arrows) is actually the product of $F$ and $G$.



          We say "pointwise", just like, say, for functions $f,g: Xto mathbbR$ we'd say that their "pointwise product" is $xmapsto f(x)g(x)$.



          Now of course this generalizes to any shape of diagram : if $I$ is a small category such that $D$ has all limits of diagrams of shape $I$, then $D^C$ does as well, and those limits are "computed pointwise". More precisely, if $G: Ito D^C$ is such a diagram, then for $c$ an object of $C$, $(mathrmLim G)(c) =mathrmLim G_c$ where $G_c$ is the functor $Ito D$ defined on objects by $G_c(i) = G(i)(c)$ (and obviously on arrows)



          Applying this to the category $I$ defining equalizer diagrams, or product diagrams, or any small $I$ yields the notion of pointwise computation.



          What should not be misunderstood is : $D^C$ might have limits of shape $I$ without $D$ having them. In particular, there may be two functors $F,G$ with a product $Ftimes G$ such that $(Ftimes G)(c)$ is not a product of $F(c), G(c)$: this can happen if $D$ doesn't have all products.



          In the context of topos theory, we'll often have $D= Set$ which has all small limits (and colimits- of course the above applies to colimits as well), and so for any small $C$, limits are "computed pointwise" in $Set^C$. In particular this means that the equalizer of $f,g : Fto G$ will be defined for an object $c$ in $C$ as $xin F(c)mid f_c(x)=g_c(x)$.






          share|cite|improve this answer





















          • Great, thanks. I’m glad to know my assumption was not mistaken.
            – Aurel
            Jul 15 at 3:53












          up vote
          2
          down vote



          accepted







          up vote
          2
          down vote



          accepted






          If you have a small category $C$ and a category $D$, you can consider the functor category $D^C$.



          In this category you can wonder what limits look like. The basic toy example is the product : given two functors $F,G: Cto D$, what might their product look like ?



          Well it turns out that if $D$ has products, then $Ftimes G$ is computed pointwise (where "pointwise" refers to the objects of $C$ as points); that is for any object $cin C, (Ftimes G)(c) = F(c)times G(c)$ (this second product being in $D$); and it's actually easy to see that this new functor (with the obvious definition on arrows) is actually the product of $F$ and $G$.



          We say "pointwise", just like, say, for functions $f,g: Xto mathbbR$ we'd say that their "pointwise product" is $xmapsto f(x)g(x)$.



          Now of course this generalizes to any shape of diagram : if $I$ is a small category such that $D$ has all limits of diagrams of shape $I$, then $D^C$ does as well, and those limits are "computed pointwise". More precisely, if $G: Ito D^C$ is such a diagram, then for $c$ an object of $C$, $(mathrmLim G)(c) =mathrmLim G_c$ where $G_c$ is the functor $Ito D$ defined on objects by $G_c(i) = G(i)(c)$ (and obviously on arrows)



          Applying this to the category $I$ defining equalizer diagrams, or product diagrams, or any small $I$ yields the notion of pointwise computation.



          What should not be misunderstood is : $D^C$ might have limits of shape $I$ without $D$ having them. In particular, there may be two functors $F,G$ with a product $Ftimes G$ such that $(Ftimes G)(c)$ is not a product of $F(c), G(c)$: this can happen if $D$ doesn't have all products.



          In the context of topos theory, we'll often have $D= Set$ which has all small limits (and colimits- of course the above applies to colimits as well), and so for any small $C$, limits are "computed pointwise" in $Set^C$. In particular this means that the equalizer of $f,g : Fto G$ will be defined for an object $c$ in $C$ as $xin F(c)mid f_c(x)=g_c(x)$.






          share|cite|improve this answer













          If you have a small category $C$ and a category $D$, you can consider the functor category $D^C$.



          In this category you can wonder what limits look like. The basic toy example is the product : given two functors $F,G: Cto D$, what might their product look like ?



          Well it turns out that if $D$ has products, then $Ftimes G$ is computed pointwise (where "pointwise" refers to the objects of $C$ as points); that is for any object $cin C, (Ftimes G)(c) = F(c)times G(c)$ (this second product being in $D$); and it's actually easy to see that this new functor (with the obvious definition on arrows) is actually the product of $F$ and $G$.



          We say "pointwise", just like, say, for functions $f,g: Xto mathbbR$ we'd say that their "pointwise product" is $xmapsto f(x)g(x)$.



          Now of course this generalizes to any shape of diagram : if $I$ is a small category such that $D$ has all limits of diagrams of shape $I$, then $D^C$ does as well, and those limits are "computed pointwise". More precisely, if $G: Ito D^C$ is such a diagram, then for $c$ an object of $C$, $(mathrmLim G)(c) =mathrmLim G_c$ where $G_c$ is the functor $Ito D$ defined on objects by $G_c(i) = G(i)(c)$ (and obviously on arrows)



          Applying this to the category $I$ defining equalizer diagrams, or product diagrams, or any small $I$ yields the notion of pointwise computation.



          What should not be misunderstood is : $D^C$ might have limits of shape $I$ without $D$ having them. In particular, there may be two functors $F,G$ with a product $Ftimes G$ such that $(Ftimes G)(c)$ is not a product of $F(c), G(c)$: this can happen if $D$ doesn't have all products.



          In the context of topos theory, we'll often have $D= Set$ which has all small limits (and colimits- of course the above applies to colimits as well), and so for any small $C$, limits are "computed pointwise" in $Set^C$. In particular this means that the equalizer of $f,g : Fto G$ will be defined for an object $c$ in $C$ as $xin F(c)mid f_c(x)=g_c(x)$.







          share|cite|improve this answer













          share|cite|improve this answer



          share|cite|improve this answer











          answered Jul 14 at 20:22









          Max

          10.4k1836




          10.4k1836











          • Great, thanks. I’m glad to know my assumption was not mistaken.
            – Aurel
            Jul 15 at 3:53
















          • Great, thanks. I’m glad to know my assumption was not mistaken.
            – Aurel
            Jul 15 at 3:53















          Great, thanks. I’m glad to know my assumption was not mistaken.
          – Aurel
          Jul 15 at 3:53




          Great, thanks. I’m glad to know my assumption was not mistaken.
          – Aurel
          Jul 15 at 3:53












           

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