Can the closed unit interval be divided into smaller intervals?

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    2015
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SUMMARY

The closed unit interval $[0,1]$ cannot be expressed as a disjoint union of closed intervals of length less than one. This conclusion is based on the properties of closed intervals and their lengths, which dictate that any division into smaller intervals must maintain the total length of 1. The inability to partition the interval into smaller disjoint segments of lesser length is a fundamental aspect of interval analysis in real analysis.

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  • Understanding of closed intervals in real analysis
  • Familiarity with the concept of disjoint unions
  • Basic knowledge of interval length properties
  • Experience with mathematical proofs and logic
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  • Study the properties of closed intervals in real analysis
  • Explore the concept of disjoint unions in set theory
  • Learn about the implications of interval length in mathematical proofs
  • Investigate related problems in real analysis, such as the Cantor set
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Mathematicians, students of real analysis, and anyone interested in the properties of intervals and set theory will benefit from this discussion.

Jameson
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Here is this week's problem!

Show that the closed unit interval $[0,1]$ cannot be expressed into a disjoint union of closed intervals of length less than one.
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No one answered this week's problem. You can find my solution below.

By way of contradiction, suppose $[0,1]$ can be written as a disjoint union of closed intervals of length less than one. These intervals form a countable collection, so we may enumerate them as $[a_n,b_n]$, $n\in \Bbb N$. Let $A = \{a_n : n\in \Bbb N\}$ and $B = \{b_n : n\in \Bbb N\}$. The set $S = (A \cup B)\setminus\{0,1\}$ is a compact set with no isolated point. This is a contradiction. For every compact metric space with no isolated point is uncountable.
 

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