This document discusses computational topology and its applications in computer graphics. It introduces key concepts in topology such as homeomorphisms, genus, orientability, and Morse theory. Topology studies properties of shapes that are preserved under continuous deformations. Morse theory analyzes the topology of a surface by investigating the critical points of functions defined on the surface, such as the height function. Reeb graphs provide a way to schematically represent a Morse function and reveal topological properties of the shape like its genus. Computational topology techniques can be used for applications like shape matching, surface reconstruction from point clouds, and mesh partitioning.