%%% This file is part of PlanetPhysics snapshot of 2011-09-01
%%% Primary Title: commutative square diagram
%%% Primary Category Code: 00.
%%% Filename: CommutativeSquareDiagram.tex
%%% Version: 6
%%% Owner: bci1
%%% Author(s): bci1
%%% PlanetPhysics is released under the GNU Free Documentation License.
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\begin{document}
\begin{definition}
A \htmladdnormallink{square}{http://planetphysics.us/encyclopedia/PiecewiseLinear.html} \htmladdnormallink{commutative diagram}{http://planetmath.org/encyclopedia/CommutativeDiagram.html}
(as for example in an \htmladdnormallink{abelian category}{http://planetphysics.us/encyclopedia/AbelianCategory2.html} ${\A}$):
$$\begin{xy}
*!C\xybox{
\xymatrix{
{A}\ar[r]^{f}\ar[d]_{k}&{B}\ar[d]^{g}\\
{C}\ar[r]_{h}&{D}
} }\end{xy}$$
is called \emph{commutative} iff $$g\circ f = h\circ k ,$$
where $A, B, C$, and $D$ are \htmladdnormallink{objects}{http://planetphysics.us/encyclopedia/TrivialGroupoid.html} of a \htmladdnormallink{category}{http://planetphysics.us/encyclopedia/Cod.html} $\mathcal{C}$, and $f,g,h$ and $k$ are, in general, arrows or ``morphisms'' (mappings, \htmladdnormallink{functions}{http://planetphysics.us/encyclopedia/Bijective.html}, \htmladdnormallink{homomorphisms}{http://planetphysics.us/encyclopedia/TrivialGroupoid.html}, \htmladdnormallink{homeomorphisms}{http://planetphysics.us/encyclopedia/TrivialGroupoid.html}, and so on) of $\mathcal{C}$.
\end{definition}
\begin{remark}
One can intuitively understand commutativity as the equivalence of the
two \htmladdnormallink{morphism}{http://planetphysics.us/encyclopedia/TrivialGroupoid.html} paths involved, or as an internal, mirror-like symmetry property of the square diagram with respect to the top-right to bottom-left diagonal.
The diagonal morphism, $d: A \to D$ (not shown) is thus equal to both $g\circ f$
and $h\circ k$. The \htmladdnormallink{concept}{http://planetphysics.us/encyclopedia/PreciseIdea.html} of commutative diagram can be thus generalized for any polyhedron with ``diagonal mirror symmetry'' of morphisms oriented in the same direction of the \htmladdnormallink{type}{http://planetphysics.us/encyclopedia/Bijective.html} described for the square diagram shown above.
\end{remark}
\end{document}