Graduation Year
2020
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Department
Mathematics
Reader 1
Vin de Silva
Reader 2
Dagan Karp
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
2020 Luke Trujillo
Abstract
Mac Lane’s Coherence Theorem is a subtle, foundational characterization of monoidal categories, a categorical concept which is now an important and popular tool in areas of pure mathematics and theoretical physics. Mac Lane’s original proof, while extremely clever, is written somewhat confusingly. Many years later, there still does not exist a fully complete and clearly written version of Mac Lane’s proof anywhere, which is unfortunate as Mac Lane’s proof provides very deep insight into the nature of monoidal categories. In this thesis, we provide brief introductions to category theory and monoidal categories, and we offer a precise, clear development of Mac Lane’s ideas towards a complete proof of the coherence theorem. This thesis will hopefully provide future readers a thorough introduction to monoidal categories and a clearly written proof of Mac Lane’s Coherence Theorem, saving those who are interested in truly understanding Mac Lane’s theorem dozens of hours of their time.
Recommended Citation
Trujillo, Luke, "A Coherent Proof of Mac Lane's Coherence Theorem" (2020). HMC Senior Theses. 243.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/hmc_theses/243
