4.3.6 The Left Skew Right Unitor

The skew right unitor of the left tensor product of pointed sets is the natural transformation

whose component

\[ \rho ^{\mathsf{Sets}_{*},\lhd }_{X} \colon X \to X\lhd S^{0} \]

at $\webleft (X,x_{0}\webright )\in \text{Obj}\webleft (\mathsf{Sets}_{*}\webright )$ is given by the composition

\begin{align*} X & \rightarrow X\vee X\\ & \cong |S^{0}|\odot X\\ & \cong X\lhd S^{0}, \end{align*}

where $X\to X\vee X$ is the map sending $X$ to the second factor of $X$ in $X\vee X$.

(Proven below in a bit.)

In other words, $\smash {\rho ^{\mathsf{Sets}_{*},\lhd }_{X}}$ acts on elements as

\[ \rho ^{\mathsf{Sets}_{*},\lhd }_{X}\webleft (x\webright )\mathrel {\smash {\overset {\mathclap {\scriptscriptstyle \text{def}}}=}}\webleft [\webleft (1,x\webright )\webright ] \]

i.e. by

\[ \rho ^{\mathsf{Sets}_{*},\lhd }_{X}\webleft (x\webright )\mathrel {\smash {\overset {\mathclap {\scriptscriptstyle \text{def}}}=}}x\lhd 1 \]

for each $x\in X$.

The morphism $\smash {\rho ^{\mathsf{Sets}_{*},\lhd }_{X}}$ is non-invertible, as it is non-surjective when viewed as a map of sets, since the elements $x\lhd 0$ of $X\lhd S^{0}$ with $x\neq x_{0}$ are outside the image of $\rho ^{\mathsf{Sets}_{*},\lhd }_{X}$, which sends $x$ to $x\lhd 1$.

Firstly, note that, given $\webleft (X,x_{0}\webright )\in \text{Obj}\webleft (\mathsf{Sets}_{*}\webright )$, the map

\[ \rho ^{\mathsf{Sets}_{*},\lhd }_{X} \colon X \to X\lhd S^{0} \]

is indeed a morphism of pointed sets as we have

\begin{align*} \rho ^{\mathsf{Sets}_{*},\lhd }_{X}\webleft (x_{0}\webright ) & = x_{0}\lhd 1\\ & = x_{0}\lhd 0.\end{align*}

Next, we claim that $\rho ^{\mathsf{Sets}_{*},\lhd }$ is a natural transformation. We need to show that, given a morphism of pointed sets

\[ f\colon \webleft (X,x_{0}\webright )\to \webleft (Y,y_{0}\webright ), \]

the diagram

commutes. Indeed, this diagram acts on elements as

and hence indeed commutes, showing $\rho ^{\mathsf{Sets}_{*},\lhd }$ to be a natural transformation. This finishes the proof.


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