Introduction to Category Theory
We can think of category theory as a generalized set theory, where in set theory we have sets and $\in$, but in category theory we have objects and arrows, where arrows are just any kinds of mappings.
So we have a kind of composition structure, where ther order of composition doesn’t matter, but the configuration matters.
And rather than reasoning structurally like PL does, it reasons “behaviorally”.
What is a Category ($C$)?
- Data
- Object collections $C_0$, \(A:C:=A\in C_0\)
- Morphisms: Arrow collection \(C_1\) or $hom(C)$, \(f::C:=f\in C_1\)
- We write \(f:a\rightarrow b\) to say $f$ is a morphism from $a$ to $b$.
- We write $hom_C(a,b)$ to denote all morphisms from $a$ to $b$, which is also called the hom-class of all morphisms from $a$ to $b$.
- Note that $hom(C)$ is a collection of all $homs$ expanded.
- Boundary maps. domain: \(\delta^-\), codomain: \(\delta^+\), \(C(A\rightarrow B):=\{f::C|\delta^-(f)=A\wedge\delta^+(f)=B\}\)
- Identity morphism: \(id(A):C(A\rightarrow A)\), which is also called loop endomorphism.
- Composition: \(for\ f:A\rightarrow B,g:B\rightarrow C,we\ have\ f\cdot g=g\circ f:A\rightarrow C\)
- Composition laws
- Unit laws: \(for\ f:A\rightarrow B,we\ have\ id(A)\cdot f=f=f\cdot id(B)\)
- Associativity law: \(for\ f:A\rightarrow B,g:B\rightarrow C,h:C\rightarrow D,we\ have\ (f\cdot g)\cdot h=f\cdot(g\cdot h)\). From $A$ to $B$ to $C$ to $D$ we call it a path.
- If \(\delta^-(f)=\delta^-(g)\&\&\delta^+(f)=\delta^+(g)\), we say the $f$ and $g$ arrows are parallel.
- Diagram: If we treat objects as vertices and arrows as directed edges, we have a directed graph
or diagram.
- A comutative diagram is one such that all directed paths with the same starting and end points lead to the same result.
- Whiskering: If we have a diagram that commutes, and we add one more arrow into it, we still have commuting diagram.
- Pasting: If we two diagrams, both commute, and they have a common path, then we can “stick” those two diagrams along that path, and the resulting diagram still commutes.
Structured Sets as Categories
We can construct a category from a set.
- Empty Category: $0$, which has no obejcts at all.
- Singleton Category: $1$, which has only one object, and one morphism, which is the $id$ for the object itself.
- Discrete Category: For a set $S’$, we construct a category $S$, where the objects are just the elements of the set, $S_0:=S’$, and the mophisms are only the $id$ for each object, \(S_1:=\{id(x)|x\in S'\}\).
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Preorder Category: For a preordered set ($P’,\leq$) (a set with a reflexive and transitive binary relation on it), a category $P$ with
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objects: $P_0:=P’$
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arrows: \(P(x\rightarrow y):= \left\{ \begin{array}{rcl} \{"x\leq y"\} & \mbox{if} & x\leq y \\ \emptyset & \mbox{otherwise} \\ \end{array}\right.\)
- identities: \(id(x):=x\leq x\)
- composition: \(x\leq y\cdot y\leq z:=x\leq z\)
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So the simplest category satisfying above requirements is call Interval Category ($I$), where there are only two objects, two $id$ rules, and one arrow from one to the other.
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- Monoid Category: For a monoid (\(M',*,\varepsilon\))
(a set $M’$, an associative binary operation $*$,
and a unit for the operation $\varepsilon$), the category $M$ with
- objects: \(M_0:=\{\star\}\)
- arrows: \(M(\star\rightarrow\star):=M'\)
- identity: \(id(\star):=\varepsilon\)
- composition: \(x\cdot y:=x*y\)
- An example monoid is (\(\mathbb{N},+,0\))
Categories of Structured Sets
Some math background: According to Russell’s Paradox, we cannot have a set of all sets, but we can have category of all sets. A class is a collection of sets (or other mathematical objects) that can be unambiguously defined by a property that all its members share. A class that is not a set is called a proper class, and a class that is a set is sometimes called a small class.
- Category of sets $SET$, where objects are just sets and arrows are functions
- Category of preordered sets $PREORD$, where objects are the preordered sets, and arrows are monotone maps (functions that preserve the order).
- Category of monoids $MON$
- objects: monoids
- arrows: monoid homomorphisms (structure preserving maps of monoids)
Categories of Types and Terms in Type Theory
- objects: interpretations of types or typing context, \([\![A]\!]\) or \([\![\Gamma]\!]\)
- arrows: \([\![\Gamma\vdash M:A]\!]:C([\![\Gamma]\!]\rightarrow[\![A]\!])\)
- identity: \([\![x:A\vdash x:A]\!]=id([\![A]\!])\)
- compositionn: \([\![x:A\vdash [y/M]N:C]\!]=[\![x:A\vdash M:B]\!]\cdot[\![y:B\vdash N:C]\!]\)
- “baby tyep theory” simple example:
Categories of Categories
- What is the morphism of categories? We define functor: For categories $C,D$,
functor $F$ from $C$ to $D$ is:
- a map \(F_0:C_0\rightarrow D_0\)
- a map \(F_1:C_1\rightarrow D_1\) such that it
- respects boundaries: \(for\ f:C(A\rightarrow B),we\ have\ F_1(f):D(F_0(A)\rightarrow F_0(B))\)
- preserve identity morphisms: \(F(id(x))=id(F(x))\forall x\in C_0\)
- preserve composition morphisms: \(F(f\cdot g)=F(f)\cdot F(g)\forall f:X\rightarrow Y,g:Y\rightarrow Z\in C_1\)
- identity functors and functor composition are just as expected
Size of Categories
Some definitions:
- a collection is either a $proper\ class$, which is $large$, or a $set$, which is $small$.
- $C\ a\ small\ category\ if\ C_1\ is\ small$, meaning $C_1\ is\ a\ set$ (which implies that $C_0\ is\ small$ because of the identity rule: $C_1$ is at least the same size of $C_0$)
- $CAT$: Category of small categories, note: $CAT\notin CAT_0$
- A category is $locally\ small$ means all homs are $small$: \(\forall a,b\in C_0,hom(a,b)\ is\ small\)
Representable Functor
A representable functor is a functor of a special form that map a locally small category into the category of sets, namely $SET$.
For a category $C$, if we fix an object in category $C$, $X:C$, we can define a functor denoted $F$ or $hom(X\rightarrow -)$:
\[F:C\rightarrow SET\\ such\ that\\ F_0:=(A:C_0)\rightarrow hom_C(X\rightarrow A)\\ F_1:=(f:C(A\rightarrow B))\rightarrow(C(X\rightarrow f):hom_C(X\rightarrow A)\rightarrow hom_C(X\rightarrow B))\\ where\\ C(X\rightarrow f):=\lambda a.a\cdot f\]$X$ is known as the representitive of the representable functor $F$.
To proof $F$ is a functor, we need to proof:
\[C(X\rightarrow id(A))=id(C(x\rightarrow A))\\ C(X\rightarrow f\cdot g)=C(X\rightarrow f)\cdot C(X\rightarrow g)\]Proofs are skipped ;)