Loop (topology)
From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
File:Fundamental group torus2.png
Two loops a, b in a torus.
A loop in mathematics, in a topological space X is a continuous function f from the unit interval I = [0,1] to X such that f(0) = f(1). In other words, it is a path whose initial point is equal to the terminal point.[1]
A loop may also be seen as a continuous map f from the pointed unit circle S1 into X, because S1 may be regarded as a quotient of I under the identification of 0 with 1.
The set of all loops in X forms a space called the loop space of X.[1]
