{
  "aliases": null,
  "backlinks": null,
  "body": "\n## Definition\n\nLet $\\mathcal{C}$ be a [[category|A2DE66937D]].\nA *skeleton* of $\\mathcal{C}$ is a [[full subcategory|V3BFGKBJF7]] $\\mathcal{S}$ of $\\mathcal{C}$ such that every object of $\\mathcal{C}$ is [[isomorphic|859F0TFVA3]] to exactly one object of $\\mathcal{S}$.\n\n## Remarks\n\nA category is *skeletal* if isomorphic objects in it are equal; a skeleton is a skeletal full subcategory that meets every isomorphism class.\nUnder the axiom of choice every category has a skeleton, and its inclusion is fully faithful and essentially surjective.\nSo the inclusion is an [[equivalence of categories|K7A04ZBD92]] by [[the criterion for equivalences|WA60RW9E04]].\nAny two skeletons of $\\mathcal{C}$ are isomorphic categories.\nExample: in the category of finite sets, the full subcategory on the sets $[n] = \\set{1, \\dots, n}$, $n \\ge 0$, with $[0] = \\emptyset$, is a skeleton.\nA finite set with $n$ elements is in bijection with $[n]$, and $[m]$ and $[n]$ are not in bijection when $m \\ne n$.\nNon-example: the full subcategory on the sets $[n]$ together with $\\set{a, b}$ is not a skeleton, since $\\set{a, b}$ and $[2]$ are two of its objects in the same isomorphism class.\n",
  "commit": "ff8a40749dc16545e3d2fc637f6b0196e81d0bfa",
  "front": {
    "defines": "A49QJYG669",
    "kind": "definition",
    "msc": [
      "18A05",
      "18A22"
    ],
    "name": "Skeleton of a category",
    "sources": [
      {
        "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeleton_(category_theory)"
      }
    ],
    "tag": "XYZWTQD6NN",
    "uses": [
      "A2DE66937D",
      "V3BFGKBJF7",
      "859F0TFVA3",
      "K7A04ZBD92",
      "WA60RW9E04"
    ]
  },
  "kind": "definition",
  "link": "https://tamnd.github.io/math2/node/XYZWTQD6NN/",
  "links": [
    {
      "field": "defines",
      "target": "A49QJYG669"
    },
    {
      "field": "uses",
      "target": "A2DE66937D"
    },
    {
      "field": "uses",
      "target": "V3BFGKBJF7"
    },
    {
      "field": "uses",
      "target": "859F0TFVA3"
    },
    {
      "field": "uses",
      "target": "K7A04ZBD92"
    },
    {
      "field": "uses",
      "target": "WA60RW9E04"
    }
  ],
  "markdown": "https://tamnd.github.io/math2/node/XYZWTQD6NN.md",
  "msc": [
    "18A05",
    "18A22"
  ],
  "name": "Skeleton of a category",
  "prov": null,
  "role": "",
  "source": "https://github.com/tamnd/math2/blob/main/nodes/XYZ/XYZWTQD6NN.md",
  "status": null,
  "tag": "XYZWTQD6NN",
  "uri": "m2://XYZWTQD6NN",
  "url": "https://tamnd.github.io/math2/wiki/skeleton-of-a-category-definition/",
  "writing": {
    "tag": "XYZWTQD6NN",
    "kind": "definition",
    "level": "W0",
    "next": [
      {
        "what": "an inventory row",
        "note": "the row of the inventory that the node accounts for",
        "have": 0,
        "want": 1
      },
      {
        "what": "a source with a locator",
        "have": 0,
        "want": 1
      }
    ]
  }
}
