# Algebraic Topology vs Differential Topology

As an undergraduate student who has studied some point set topology and abstract algebra, I aim to start studying differential topology using Guillemin-Pollack and algebraic topology using Hatcher on my own.

Before this, I want to understand the fundamental differences/similarities between these two subjects.

Is it true that algebraic topology and differential topology are similar subjects in the sense that they seek to solve same kind of problems but using different tools? Or are there problems that can only be solved by one technique? Or in what respects are these two subjects different from one another?

It would also be very helpful if you could direct me to some books which highlight these issues in general.

• See the Wikipedia page for algebraic topology... it does a good job of explaining the basics of what AT is and the problems it tries to answer. It explains that AT and DT can work in the same setting (manifolds) but that each tend to focus on different aspects of a manifold; namely, that AT will attend to global, non-differentiable results and DT will focus on smooth (differentiable) manifolds that give rise to a geometric structure, which we can take advantage of via invariants. Note that this invariance-business is common to both AT and DT since both try to classify things. – coreyman317 Oct 25 '18 at 3:03
• Unrelated to your question, but I recommend any text but GP for a first study in differential topology. If you're going to learn AT at the time, then maybe try Tu's Introduction to Manifolds, as that should lead nicely to Bott and Tu's Differential Forms in Algebraic Topology which combine the topics nicely. Alternatively, I'd also recommend Lee's Intro to Topological Manifolds, and Intro to Smooth Manifolds. I think GP's text is too "non-rigorous" for a first exposition to the subject. – Matt Oct 25 '18 at 9:40
• There is nothing non-rigorous in Guillemin and Pollack's book. The only objection I consider reasonable is that it prefers to work with submanifolds of $\Bbb R^N$ instead of abstract manifolds; it does this to get to the actual topology as quickly as possible instead of spending a lot of time setting up formalism. This is easily remedied by reading a few early chapters of Lee. – user98602 Oct 25 '18 at 11:57

But let me give two examples of problems that are clearly from one area and not the other. The first is the existence of homeomorphic but not diffeomorphic differential manifolds. This is clearly a topic of differential geometry. The first such example was found by Milnor who showed the existence of exotic structures on $$S^7$$ i.e. a manifold homeomorphic but not diffeomorphic to $$S^7$$ (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exotic_sphere).