Boundary of the union of two sets

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the boundary of the union of two sets in topology, specifically examining the equation \(\partial(A\cup B) = (\partial(A)\cap \text{int}(X-B))\cup (\partial(B)\cap \text{int}(X-A))\). The user presents a proof that \(\partial(A\cup B) \subset (\partial(A)\cap (X-\text{int}(B)))\cup (\partial(B)\cap (X-\text{int}(A))\), but provides counterexamples demonstrating that the original equality does not hold in certain cases. The sets A and B are defined in \(\mathbb{R}^2\) as \(A= \{0\le x < 1,0\le y \le 1\}\) and \(B= \{1\le x \le 2,0\le y \le 1\}\), illustrating the complexity of boundaries in topological spaces.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of topological spaces
  • Familiarity with boundary (\(\partial\)) and interior (\(\text{int}\)) concepts
  • Knowledge of set operations in topology
  • Proficiency in mathematical proof techniques
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  • Study the properties of boundaries in topological spaces
  • Explore counterexamples in topology to understand limitations of theorems
  • Learn about the relationship between closure and interior in topology
  • Investigate advanced topics in set theory and topology, such as compactness and connectedness
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Mathematicians, students of topology, and anyone interested in advanced set theory concepts will benefit from this discussion.

painfive
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is it true that:

[tex]\partial(A\cup B) = (\partial(A)\cap \mbox{int}(X-B))\cup (\partial(B)\cap \mbox{int}(X-A))[/tex]

? (where [itex]\partial(A)[/itex] is the boundary of A, int(A) is the interior, and A and B are two subsets of the topological space X)

I can prove that:

[tex]\partial(A\cup B) \subset (\partial(A)\cap (X-\mbox{int}(B)))\cup (\partial(B)\cap (X-\mbox{int}(A)))[/tex]

But I have an example where the equality doesn't hold. (I can show all this if anyone wants). But in the example, the first equalitiy does hold, and it seems like it would always hold, but I can't prove it.

Edit: Actually, now I think I have an example where the first equality doesn't hold. Now I have no idea what [itex]\partial(A\cup B)[/itex] is. (It also isn't [itex](\partial(A)\cap (X-B))\cup (\partial(B)\cap (X-A))[/itex], because I have a counterexample of that too)
 
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I might as well show the counterexample I found. For these two sets, none of the above equalities hold (here X is [itex]\Re^2[/itex]):

[tex]A= {0\le x < 1,0\le y \le 1}[/tex]
[tex]B= {1\le x \le 2,0\le y \le 1}[/tex]

Here, the first equality should actually be a "contains" and the second two should be "is a subset of".
 

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