- #1
davidge
- 554
- 21
I was trying to show that a closed interval ##[a,b]## and ##\mathbb{R}## cannot be homeomorphic. I would like to know whether this can actually be considered as a proof. It is the following:
- The closed interval ##[a,b]## can be written as ##[a,p] \cup [p,b]##, where ##a \leq p \leq b##.
- ##\mathbb{R}## can be written as ##(- \infty, q) \cup (s, \infty)##, where ##s < q##.
Let ##[a, b] = A## and ##[p,b] = B##.
If there is a homeomorphism ##f## from ##[a, b]## to ##\mathbb{R}##, then
- ##\mathbb{R} = f(A) \cup f(B)##
Each point on ##f(A) \cap f(B)## is the image of one, and only one, point which is in both ##A## and ##B##. Considering the extreme case, there will be only one point on ##A \cap B##, namely ##\text{{p}}##. On the other hand, ##f(A) \cap f(B)## will have more than one point (possibly infinite points) as it is the intersection of two open intervals ##f(A)## and ##f(B)## whose union is ##\mathbb{R}##.
So ##f## cannot be an injection, which contradicts ##f## being a homeomorphism.
- The closed interval ##[a,b]## can be written as ##[a,p] \cup [p,b]##, where ##a \leq p \leq b##.
- ##\mathbb{R}## can be written as ##(- \infty, q) \cup (s, \infty)##, where ##s < q##.
Let ##[a, b] = A## and ##[p,b] = B##.
If there is a homeomorphism ##f## from ##[a, b]## to ##\mathbb{R}##, then
- ##\mathbb{R} = f(A) \cup f(B)##
Each point on ##f(A) \cap f(B)## is the image of one, and only one, point which is in both ##A## and ##B##. Considering the extreme case, there will be only one point on ##A \cap B##, namely ##\text{{p}}##. On the other hand, ##f(A) \cap f(B)## will have more than one point (possibly infinite points) as it is the intersection of two open intervals ##f(A)## and ##f(B)## whose union is ##\mathbb{R}##.
So ##f## cannot be an injection, which contradicts ##f## being a homeomorphism.
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