---- > [!definition] Definition. ([[change of basepoint isomorphism]]) > Let $X$ be a [[topological space]]. Let $\alpha$ be a [[parameterized curve]] in $X$ from $x_{0}$ to $x_{1}$. The map $\begin{align} \hat{\alpha}: \pi_{1}(X,x_{0}) & \to \pi_{1}(X,x_{1}) \\ [f] & \mapsto [\overline{\alpha}] * [f] * [\alpha] \end{align}$ defines [[group isomorphism]] between $\pi_{1}(X,x_{0})$ and $\pi_{1}(X,x_{1})$. \ Here, $\overline{\alpha}$ denotes the [[parameterized curve|reverse path]] of $\alpha$, $*$ is the [[fundamental groupoid|concatenation product]] operation, and $[\cdot]$ denotes the [[path homotopy]] [[equivalence class|class]] of $\cdot$. > [!proposition] Corollary. > If $X$ is [[path-connected]] and $x_{0}, x_{1} \in X$, then the [[fundamental group|fundamental groups]] $\pi_{1}(X,x_{0})$ and $\pi_{1}(X,x_{1})$ are [[group isomorphism|isomorphic]]. *But they are not 'naturally' so— a different path $\alpha'$ could yield a different isomorphism than $\alpha$ did above.* > [!justification] > > $\hat{\alpha}$ is well-defined because $*$ is. If $f$ is a [[parameterized curve|loop]] based at $x_{0}$, then $\overline{\alpha} * (f * \alpha)$ is a loop based at $x_{1}$, hence $\hat{\alpha}$ maps $\pi_{1}(X,x_{0})$ into $\pi_{1}(X,x_{1})$, as desired. See picture [[TODO]]. > It is easy to verify $\hat{\alpha}$ is a [[group homomorphism]]: if $f,g$ are two [[parameterized curve|loops]] about $x_{0}$, then liberal application of associativity yields $\begin{align} \hat{\alpha}([f] * [g]) = & \hat{\alpha}([f * g]) \\ = & [\overline{\alpha}] * [f * g] * [\alpha] \\ = & [\overline{\alpha} * f] * [g * \alpha] \\ = & [\overline{\alpha} * f] * [e_{x_{0}}] * [g * \alpha] \\ = & [\overline{\alpha} * f] * [\alpha * \overline{\alpha}] * [g * \alpha] \\ = & [\overline{\alpha} * f * \alpha] * [\overline{\alpha} * g * \alpha] \\ = & ([\overline{\alpha}] * [f] * [\alpha] ) * ([\overline{\alpha}] * [g] * [\alpha]) \\ = & \hat{\alpha}([f]) * \hat{\alpha}([g]). \end{align}$ To show that $\hat{\alpha}$ is an [[group isomorphism|isomorphism]], we show it has inverse $\hat{\beta}$, where $\hat{\beta}$ is defined $\begin{align} \hat{\beta}: \pi_{1}(X,x_{1}) & \to \pi_{1}(X,x_{0}) \\ [g] & \mapsto [\alpha] * g * [\overline{\alpha}]. \end{align}$ Indeed, $\begin{align} \hat{\beta}(\hat{\alpha}([f]))= & \hat{\beta}([\overline{\alpha}] * [f] * [\alpha]) \\ = & [\alpha] * [\overline{\alpha}] * [f] *[\alpha] * [\overline{\alpha}] \\ = & f \\ = & [\overline{\alpha}] * [\alpha] * [f] *[\overline{\alpha}] * [\alpha] \\ = & \hat{\alpha}([\alpha] * [f] *[\overline{\alpha}] ) \\ = & \hat{\alpha}(\hat{\beta}([f])). \end{align}$ ---- #### ---- #### References > [!backlink] > ```dataview > TABLE rows.file.link as "Further Reading" > FROM [[]] > FLATTEN file.tags as Tag > WHERE Tag = "#definition" OR Tag = "#theorem" OR Tag = "#MOC" OR Tag = "#proposition" OR Tag = "#axiom" > GROUP BY Tag > ``` > [!frontlink] > ```dataview > TABLE rows.file.link as "Further Reading" > FROM outgoing([[]]) > FLATTEN file.tags as Tag > WHERE Tag = "#definition" OR Tag = "#theorem" OR Tag = "#MOC" OR Tag = "#proposition" OR Tag = "#axiom" > GROUP BY Tag > ```