Homology and Homotopy groups from properties

[heras1985]

I am looking for results which provides the homology and homotopy groups from some property of the space.
For instance, if a space X is contractible then H_0(X)=\mathbb{Z} and H_n(X)=0 if n\neq 0. Another example is the Eilenberg MacLane spaces K(\pi,n) where \pi_n(K(\pi,n))=\pi and \pi_r(K(\pi,n))=0 if n\neq r. It is also known the result for the homology groups of the spheres.
Do you know some similar result or some book where I can find them?
Thank you in advance.

 

[quasar987]

I'm sure there are hundreds of such rules.

Here's one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_class

 

[heras1985]

I'm sure there are hundreds of such rules.

Here's one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_class

Yeah, I'm sure that there are hundreds of such rules, but it is difficult to find these rules explicitely.

 

[owlpride]

Have you heard of cellular homology? Readily let's you compute the homology groups of any CW complex.

Other than that, Seifert-van-Kampen and Mayer-Vietoris are your friend.

 

[wofsy]

I am looking for results which provides the homology and homotopy groups from some property of the space.
For instance, if a space X is contractible then H_0(X)=\mathbb{Z} and H_n(X)=0 if n\neq 0. Another example is the Eilenberg MacLane spaces K(\pi,n) where \pi_n(K(\pi,n))=\pi and \pi_r(K(\pi,n))=0 if n\neq r. It is also known the result for the homology groups of the spheres.
Do you know some similar result or some book where I can find them?
Thank you in advance.

In a good first book on algebraic topology you will find many homology computations.
Homotopy is much harder. Rational homotopy of simply connected spaces can be computed from minimal models of rational cohomology. This is a powerful technique.

A good exercise is to compute the homology of an arbitrary closed surface.