Fundamental Group

The fundamental group is a concept in mathematics, specifically in topology, that helps us understand the shape of a space. Imagine tracing a loop in a shape like a donut or a sphere. The fundamental group captures the different ways you can loop around without being able to shrink those loops down to a point. For example, in a donut, you can loop around the hole, but you can't do that in a sphere. This concept allows mathematicians to classify shapes based on their properties and helps in understanding the connections and structure of different spaces.