Reducible Poincaré Complexes (Ex)

Exercise 0.1. Let $X$$\newcommand{\Z}{\mathbb{Z}} \newcommand{\R}{\mathbb{R}} \newcommand{\C}{\mathbb{C}} \newcommand{\N}{\mathbb{N}} \newcommand{\Q}{\mathbb{Q}} \newcommand{\F}{\mathbb{F}} \newcommand{\bZ}{\mathbb{Z}} \newcommand{\bR}{\mathbb{R}} \newcommand{\bC}{\mathbb{C}} \newcommand{\bH}{\mathbb{H}} \newcommand{\bQ}{\mathbb{Q}} \newcommand{\bF}{\mathbb{F}} \newcommand{\bN}{\mathbb{N}} \DeclareMathOperator\id{id} % identity map \DeclareMathOperator\Sq{Sq} % Steenrod squares \DeclareMathOperator\Homeo{Homeo} % group of homeomorphisms of a topoloical space \DeclareMathOperator\Diff{Diff} % group of diffeomorphisms of a smooth manifold \DeclareMathOperator\SDiff{SDiff} % diffeomorphism under some constraint \DeclareMathOperator\Hom{Hom} % homomrphism group \DeclareMathOperator\End{End} % endomorphism group \DeclareMathOperator\Aut{Aut} % automorphism group \DeclareMathOperator\Inn{Inn} % inner automorphisms \DeclareMathOperator\Out{Out} % outer automorphism group \DeclareMathOperator\vol{vol} % volume \newcommand{\GL}{\text{GL}} % general linear group \newcommand{\SL}{\text{SL}} % special linear group \newcommand{\SO}{\text{SO}} % special orthogonal group \newcommand{\O}{\text{O}} % orthogonal group \newcommand{\SU}{\text{SU}} % special unitary group \newcommand{\Spin}{\text{Spin}} % Spin group \newcommand{\RP}{\Rr\mathrm P} % real projective space \newcommand{\CP}{\Cc\mathrm P} % complex projective space \newcommand{\HP}{\Hh\mathrm P} % quaternionic projective space \newcommand{\Top}{\mathrm{Top}} % topological category \newcommand{\PL}{\mathrm{PL}} % piecewise linear category \newcommand{\Cat}{\mathrm{Cat}} % any category \newcommand{\KS}{\text{KS}} % Kirby-Siebenmann class \newcommand{\Hud}{\text{Hud}} % Hudson torus \newcommand{\Ker}{\text{Ker}} % Kernel \newcommand{\underbar}{\underline} %Classifying Spaces for Families of Subgroups \newcommand{\textup}{\text} \newcommand{\sp}{^}X$ be a finite Poinaré complex of formal dimension $n \geq 3$$n \geq 3$ with Spivak Normal Fibration $\nu_X$$\nu_X$. A theorem of Wall, [Wall1967a, Theorem 2.4], states that $X$$X$ may be written

$\displaystyle X \simeq X^\bullet \cup_\phi e^n$ $$\displaystyle X \simeq X^\bullet \cup_\phi e^n$$

where $X^\bullet$$X^\bullet$ has dimension less than $n$$n$. Show that for some $k$$k$, the top cell of $X$$X$ splits off, i.e. $\Sigma^k X \simeq S^{n+k} \vee \Sigma^k X^\bullet$$\Sigma^k X \simeq S^{n+k} \vee \Sigma^k X^\bullet$, if and only if $\nu_X$$\nu_X$, the Spivak normal fibration of $X$$X$, is trivial.

References

• [Wall1967a] C. T. C. Wall, Poincaré complexes. I, Ann. of Math. (2) 86 (1967), 213–245. MR0217791 (36 #880)