# Seven Sketches in Compositionality: An Invitation to Applied Category Theory

## TL;DR

This book introduces advanced category theory concepts through seven real-world applications, providing accessible sketches that connect practical examples like databases and circuits with categorical structures.

## Contribution

It offers a gentle, introductory exploration of complex categorical ideas via concrete examples, making advanced topics accessible without prior knowledge.

## Key findings

- Illustrates categorical structures in real-world contexts
- Provides a beginner-friendly tour of advanced category theory topics
- Connects applications like databases and circuits with theoretical concepts

## Abstract

This book is an invitation to discover advanced topics in category theory through concrete, real-world examples. It aims to give a tour: a gentle, quick introduction to guide later exploration. The tour takes place over seven sketches, each pairing an evocative application, such as databases, electric circuits, or dynamical systems, with the exploration of a categorical structure, such as adjoint functors, enriched categories, or toposes. No prior knowledge of category theory is assumed. A feedback form for typos, comments, questions, and suggestions is available here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/160G9OFcP5DWT8Stn7TxdVx83DJnnf7d5GML0_FOD5Wg/edit

---
Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/1803.05316