CatDat

Construction of a colimit of a sequence of monomorphisms as a quotient of a congruence

Proof. Suppose we have a sequence $X_1 \hookrightarrow X_2 \hookrightarrow \cdots$ with corresponding monomorphisms $f_{m,n} : X_m \hookrightarrow X_n$ for $m \le n$. Define $Y$ to be the coproduct of all $X_n$. Now for each $m\le n$, define $E_{m,n} \coloneqq X_m$ with two maps $i_m, i_n \circ f_{m,n} : E_{m,n} \rightrightarrows Y$, and similarly for $m \ge n$ define $E_{m,n} \coloneqq X_n$ with two maps $i_m \circ f_{n,m}, i_n : E_{m,n} \rightrightarrows Y$. Then the coproduct of all $E_{m,n}$, with the induced morphisms to $Y$, forms a congruence. Here to prove the maps are jointly monomorphic, and again in proving transitivity, we use extensivity to split the domain of the generalized elements of $\sum_{m,n=1}^\infty E_{m,n}$ so that without loss of generality we may assume each factors through one of the coproduct inclusions. Now a quotient of this congruence must be a colimit of the sequence. $\square$