Does $f^{\ast}$ homotopic to $g^{\ast}$ imply $\int f^{\ast} w = \int g^{\ast} w$?

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Let $f,g: M^{k} \to N$ ($M$ and $N$ with out boundary ) such that they are homotopic then for $\omega$ a $k$-form on $N$ do we have that

$$ \int_M f^{\ast} \omega = \int_M g^{\ast} \omega$$

as conclusion? I can't figure out a proof so I am starting to think that it is not true. I can't use Homology or Cohomology and all that fancy stuff . I think is just a matter of rearranging singular cubes but I can't see how.

The way I was trying to approach this is the following: Consider first the case where support of $\omega$ is in the interior of the image of a singular cube $f \circ c$, where $c$ is a singular cube into $M$.

Then we look at the new singular cube $f \circ c : I \to N$. But I don't know what to do from here and how to approach the general case.

Attempt

Using @TedShifrin's answer I've managed the following

$$\int_{M \times [0,1]}d(H^{*}w)=\int_{\partial(M \times [0,1])}H^{*}w = \int_{\partial M}g^{\ast}w-f^{\ast}w=0$$

but I am not sure.

Thanks a lot in advance.

2

There are 2 best solutions below

8
On

Take $M=N=\mathbb R$ and take $\omega$ to be some nonvanishing $1$-form. Any two functions $\mathbb R\to\mathbb R$ are homotopic to each other, hence all are homotopic to zero. If your claim were true it would imply that the integral of any $1$-form is zero, which of course is not the case!

What you might be thinking of is that if $f$ and $g$ are homotopic then they induce the same map on de Rham complexes. In the previous example, I showed that every map $\mathbb R\to\mathbb R$ induces zero as a function from the de Rham complex of $\mathbb R$ to itself. But because $\mathbb R$ is convex (or better, contractible) its de Rham cohomology vanishes! So we don't learn anything.

18
On

You had better assume $M$ is a compact manifold without boundary and $\omega$ is a closed $k$-form on $N$. (The latter is automatic if $\dim N = k$ as well.) Then you can consider the homotopy mapping $H\colon M\times [0,1]\to N$ and apply Stokes's Theorem to $H^*\omega$.