Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2023 / ib / Paper 1 / 2F / Solution

A topological surface is a Hausdorff, second-countable space in which every point has a neighbourhood homeomorphic to an open subset of ${\mathbb{R}}^2$.

The antipodal action on $S^2$ is free. The surface quotient by a free finite action applies: Around each point choose a small open disc disjoint from its antipodal image; the quotient map restricts to a homeomorphism from that disc onto an open neighbourhood in the quotient. Compactness gives Hausdorffness and second countability descends from the sphere. Thus the quotient is the real projective plane, in particular a topological surface.

For the second quotient write a point away from the poles asThe mapin these cylindrical coordinates extends continuously over the poles and identifies exactly $\varphi$ with $\varphi +\pi$. It therefore induces a continuous bijection $S^2/\approx \to S^2$. The domain is compact and the sphere Hausdorff, so this bijection is a homeomorphism.

Solved by gpt-5.6-sol high.