Proof of the Snake Lemma
We give a complete proof of the Snake Lemma by diagram chasing in . By the Freyd-Mitchell Embedding Theorem, this suffices for any abelian category.
Setup
We have a commutative diagram with exact rows:
Step 1: Induced Maps on Kernels and Cokernels
The maps and are induced by restricting and . If , then , so . Similarly for .
The maps and are induced by and . If , say , then . So descends to .
Step 2: Construction of the Connecting Homomorphism
We define .
Let , so .
Lift: Since is surjective, choose with .
Map down: Compute . We have . So (by exactness of the bottom row at ).
Lift to : Since is injective (bottom row is exact at ), there is a unique with .
Project: Define .
Well-definedness: Suppose is another lift: . Then , so . Write for some . Then the corresponding elements differ by: . Since is injective, . So in .
Homomorphism: is additive since each step (lift, map down, lift, project) is additive (using the uniqueness of the lift through ).
Step 3: Exactness at
We show .
: For , by exactness of the top row.
: Let with . By exactness of the top row at , for some . Then . Since is injective, , so and .
Step 4: Exactness at
We show .
: Let , and set . To compute , we can use itself as a lift. Then , so and .
: Let with . Using a lift with , we have and in , so for some . Then , so , meaning . And . So .
Step 5: Exactness at
We show .
: Let with , where for a lift of . Then in .
: Let with , i.e., . Write for some . Set . Then , so . By construction, .
Step 6: Exactness at
Similar to Step 3, using the dual argument. We omit the details.
Summary
The connecting homomorphism "snakes" through the diagram: it starts at (upper right), goes left via lifting, goes down via , goes left again via lifting through , and ends at (lower left). This snake-like path through the diagram gives the lemma its name.
The Snake Lemma is used to construct:
- The long exact sequence in cohomology from a SES of complexes.
- Long exact sequences for derived functors (, , sheaf cohomology).
- The connecting homomorphism in the Mayer-Vietoris sequence.