Abstract
For a stable map φ: M →S2 of a closed and connected surface into the sphere, let c(φ), i(φ) and n(φ) denote the numbers of cusps, fold curve components and nodes respectively. In this paper, in a given homotopy class, we will determine the minimal triples (c, i, n), (n, c, i) and (i, n, c) with respect to the lexicographic order.
