Homology of polyhedra and quadrangulations of surfaces

Abstract

A new formula is obtained in algebraic topology, in terms of Betti numbers, and a new method, called the spinal method, is suggested and developed for generating quadrangulations of closed orientable surfaces. Those surfaces arise as the thickenings of 1- and 2-dimensional curvilinear polyhedra, called spines, in Euclidean 3-space. By way of spinal manipulation, quadrangulations with given properties are constructed.