# Homotopy Type Theory precategory (Rev #1)

## Definition

A precategory $A$ consists of the following.

• A type $A_0$, whose elements are called objects. Typically $A$ is coerced to $A_0$ in order to write $x:A$ for $x:A_0$.

• For each $a,b:A$, a set $hom_A(a,b)$, whose elements are called arrows or morphisms.

• For each $a:A$, a morphism $1_a:hom_A(a,a)$, called the identity morphism.

• For each $a,b,c:A$, a function

$hom_A(b,c) \to hom_A(a,b) \to hom_A(a,c)$

called composition, and denoted infix by $g \mapsto f \mapsto g \circ f$, or sometimes $gf$.

• For each $a,b:A$ and $f:hom_A(a,b)$, we have $f=1_b \circ f$ and $f=f\circ 1_a$.

• For eagh $a,b,c,d:A$,

$f:hom_A(a,b),\ g:hom_A(b,c),\ h:hom_A(c,d)$

we have $h\circ (g\circ f)=(h\circ g)\circ f$.

## Properties

There are two notions of “sameness” for objects of a precategory. On one hand we have an isomorphism? between objects $a$ and $b$ on the other hand we have equality of objects $a$ and $b$.

There is a special kind of precategory called a category where these two notions of equality coincide and some very nice properties arise.

### Lemma 9.1.4 (idtoiso)

if $A$ is a precategory and $a,b:A$, then there is a map

$idtoiso : (a=b) \to (a \cong b)$

Proof. By induction on identity, we may assume $a$ and $b$ are the same. But then we have $1_a:hom_A(a,a)$, which is clearly an isomorphism. $\square$

See category

## References

HoTT Book

category: category theory

Revision on September 4, 2018 at 12:55:16 by Ali Caglayan. See the history of this page for a list of all contributions to it.