The theory of minimal models, as developed by Sullivan [6; 8; 16] gives a method of computing the rational homotopy groups of a space X (that is, the homotopy groups of X tensored with the additive group of rationals Q). One associates to X a free, differential, graded-commutative lgebra , over Q, called the minimal model of X, from which one can read off the rational homotopy groups of X.