MathLabs
TheoremProved

The Yoneda lemma

Statement

For every functor F:Cop→SetF:\mathcal{C}^{\mathrm{op}}\to\mathbf{Set} and object AA, the maps Φ\Phi and Ψ\Psi above are mutually inverse, so Nat(HomC(−,A),F)≅F(A)\mathrm{Nat}(\mathrm{Hom}_{\mathcal{C}}(-,A),F)\cong F(A) as a genuine bijection of sets.

Why is it true?

This is what lets category theorists trade an infinite, hard-to-grasp family of natural transformations for a single concrete element of F(A)F(A) — every question about maps out of the representable presheaf hAh_A collapses to a question about one set.

Proof sketch

We first check Φ(Ψ(x))=x\Phi(\Psi(x))=x for every x∈F(A)x\in F(A). Unwind the definitions: Ψ(x)A(1A)=F(1A)(x)\Psi(x)_A(1_A)=F(1_A)(x) by the formula for Ψ\Psi, specialized to X=AX=A, f=1Af=1_A. Since FF is a functor, it sends the identity morphism 1A1_A to the identity function on F(A)F(A), so F(1A)(x)=xF(1_A)(x)=x. Therefore Φ(Ψ(x))=Ψ(x)A(1A)=x\Phi(\Psi(x))=\Psi(x)_A(1_A)=x, exactly as required — this direction uses nothing but the functor identity law.

Now we check the harder direction, Ψ(Φ(η))=η\Psi(\Phi(\eta))=\eta for every natural transformation η:hA⇒F\eta:h_A\Rightarrow F. Both sides are natural transformations hA⇒Fh_A\Rightarrow F, so it suffices to show their components agree at every object XX and every element f∈hA(X)=Hom(X,A)f\in h_A(X)=\mathrm{Hom}(X,A).

Unwind Ψ(Φ(η))X(f)\Psi(\Phi(\eta))_X(f) using the formula for Ψ\Psi with x:=Φ(η)=ηA(1A)x:=\Phi(\eta)=\eta_A(1_A): this equals F(f)(ηA(1A))F(f)(\eta_A(1_A)).

Now invoke naturality of η\eta itself, in the form ηY(f∘g)=F(g)(ηX(f))\eta_Y(f\circ g)=F(g)(\eta_X(f)) with g:=f:X→Ag:=f:X\to A and the other variable set to AA: taking f:=1A∈hA(A)f:=1_A\in h_A(A) in that naturality square gives exactly ηX(1A∘f)=F(f)(ηA(1A))\eta_X(1_A\circ f)=F(f)(\eta_A(1_A)), i.e. ηX(f)=F(f)(ηA(1A))\eta_X(f)=F(f)(\eta_A(1_A)), since 1A∘f=f1_A\circ f=f.

Combining the last two displays: Ψ(Φ(η))X(f)=F(f)(ηA(1A))=ηX(f)\Psi(\Phi(\eta))_X(f)=F(f)(\eta_A(1_A))=\eta_X(f). Since XX and ff were arbitrary, the two natural transformations agree everywhere, so Ψ(Φ(η))=η\Psi(\Phi(\eta))=\eta. Together with the first paragraph, Φ\Phi and Ψ\Psi are mutually inverse bijections.

Topics that use this theorem

Step-by-step proofs

No step-by-step proof yet for this theorem.

References

  1. Saunders Mac Lane (1998). Categories for the Working Mathematician
  2. Emily Riehl (2016). Category Theory in Context
  3. Jacob Lurie (2009). Higher Topos Theory · arXiv:math/0608040