This account is a study of twofold symmetry in algebraic topology. The author discusses specifically the antipodal involution of a real vector bundle - multiplication by - I in each fibre; doubling and squaring operations; the symmetry of bilinear forms and Hermitian K-theory. In spite of its title, this is not a treatise on equivariant topology; rather it is the language in which to describe the symmetry. Familiarity with the basic concepts of algebraic topology (homotopy, stable homotopy, homology, K-theory, the Pontrjagin Thom transfer construction) is assumed. Detailed proofs are not...

This book provides a clear and concise discussion of the theoretical issues involved in ethnographic description and comparative study.