5.1.2 Right Bilinear Morphisms of Pointed Sets

Let $\webleft (X,x_{0}\webright )$, $\webleft (Y,y_{0}\webright )$, and $\webleft (Z,z_{0}\webright )$ be pointed sets.

A right bilinear morphism of pointed sets from $\webleft (X\times Y,\webleft (x_{0},y_{0}\webright )\webright )$ to $\webleft (Z,z_{0}\webright )$ is a map of sets

\[ f \colon X\times Y \to Z \]

satisfying the following condition:1,2

  • Right Unital Bilinearity. The diagram

    commutes, i.e. for each $x\in X$, we have

    \[ f\webleft (x,y_{0}\webright ) = z_{0}. \]


1Slogan: The map $f$ is right bilinear if it preserves basepoints in its second argument.
2Succinctly, $f$ is bilinear if we have

\[ f\webleft (x,y_{0}\webright ) = z_{0} \]

for each $x\in X$.

The set of right bilinear morphisms of pointed sets from $\webleft (X\times Y,\webleft (x_{0},y_{0}\webright )\webright )$ to $\webleft (Z,z_{0}\webright )$ is the set $\smash {\textup{Hom}^{\otimes ,\mathrm{R}}_{\mathsf{Sets}_{*}}\webleft (X\times Y,Z\webright )}$ defined by

\[ \textup{Hom}^{\otimes ,\mathrm{R}}_{\mathsf{Sets}_{*}}\webleft (X\times Y,Z\webright ) \mathrel {\smash {\overset {\mathclap {\scriptscriptstyle \text{def}}}=}}\webleft\{ f\in \textup{Hom}_{\mathsf{Sets}}\webleft (X\times Y,Z\webright )\ \middle |\ \text{$f$ is right bilinear}\webright\} . \]


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