280 M. GRINBERG AND R. MACPHERSON, EULER CHARACTERISTICS
Assuming now that g is Morse, we find that
Ax nAx =Ax n {dg} = l_)-1)>-(P),
p
where p runs over the critical points of g.
Now, it is a standard fact of classical Morse theory that I:P(-1)>.(p) = x(X).
The proof is based on the following two results.
Theorem 3.1.4. Let g : X ---t JR be a proper Morse function. Assume g has
no critical values in the interval [a, b] E JR. Then g-^1 [a, b] is diffeomorphic to
g -^1 (a) x [a, b]. It follows that X::;a ~ X::;b, where X::; = g-^1 ] - oo, ].
Theorem 3.1.5. Let g : X ---t JR be a proper Morse function, a E JR a critical
value of g, and p E X the unique critical point with g(p) =a. Let d = dimX and
>.. = A.(p). Fix a small number E > 0. Then the set X::;a+< is obtained from the set
X<a-< by gluing on the product D>. x Dd->. along the subset an>-x Dd->. (here D n
de-:,wtes the standard n-ball). It follows that x(X::;a+<) = x(X::;a-<) + (-1)>..
We will say that the pair (D>. x Dd->., an>-x Dd->.) is the Morse data of g at
p. The proof of Theorem 1.1 in the case Ji = h = 1 is now complete.
3.2. Stratified Morse theory
Our next step is to prove Theorem 1.1 when h = 1, and Ji : X ---t Z is any alge-
braically constructible function with compact support. The proof will be parallel
to the argument in Section 3.1, with stratified Morse theory replacing the classical
one.
We fix a semi-algebraic stratification S of X, so that Ji is S-constructible. Let
g : X ---t JR be a proper smooth function. A point p E X is called stratified critical
for g if it is critical for the restriction gls, where Sis the stratum of S containing
p. In other words, p is critical if and only if dpg E As.
We say that p is a stratified Morse critical point for g if it is a Morse critical
point for gls, and the covector dpg is generic. Also, we say that g is (stratified)
Morse if all of its critical points are.
Exercise 3.2.1. Show that g is a stratified Morse function if and only if the
intersection of {dg} and As is transverse (i.e., {dg} meets As only along A~, and
all the intersection points are transverse).
We can now state the analog of Theorem 3.1.4.
Theorem 3.2.2. Let (X, S) be as above, and let g : X ---t JR be a proper stratified
Morse function. Assume g has no (stratified) critical values in the interval [a, b] E
JR. Then g-^1 [a,b] is homeomorphic to g-^1 (a) x [a,b] in a stratum-preserving way
(both spaces inherit their stratifications from X).
On the level of Euler characteristics this implies that
x(X::;a; Ji)= x(X::;b; Ji).
To state the analog of Theorem 3.1.5, we need to define the normal and tan-
gential Morse data at a stratified Morse critical point p of g. The tangential Morse