Abstract:
We consider a discrete (finite-difference) analogue of differential
forms defined on simplicial complexes, in particular, on triangulations of
smooth manifolds. Various operations are explicitly defined on these forms
including the exterior differential $d$ and the exterior product $\wedge$.
The exterior product is nonassociative but satisfies a more general relation,
the so-called $A_{\infty}$ structure. This structure includes an infinite set of
operations constrained by the nilpotency relation $(d+\wedge+m+\dotsb)^n=0$ of
the second degree, $n=2$.