Connected Spaces: Disjoint Unions & Inf Sets

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the properties of disconnected spaces in topology, specifically whether a disconnected space can be represented as a disjoint union of two infinite sets. Participants explore definitions, examples, and necessary conditions for such unions.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that a disconnected space can indeed be a disjoint union of two infinite sets, citing examples such as T=[0,1]∪[2,3] as subsets of ℝ.
  • Others argue that the connected components need not be finite or compact, suggesting broader conditions for disconnection.
  • A participant emphasizes the need for the intersection of the closures of the disjoint sets to be empty for a proper disconnection, questioning the validity of certain examples.
  • Another participant counters that the reason for the failure of certain sets to disconnect ℝ is not due to closure properties but rather the absence of points in the sets themselves.
  • One participant refines the definition of disconnection, stating that a space X is disconnected if it can be expressed as a union of two subsets A and B, with specific closure and intersection properties.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the conditions necessary for a disjoint union to represent a disconnected space, indicating that multiple competing views remain and the discussion is unresolved.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include varying interpretations of closure properties, the definitions of disjoint unions, and the conditions under which spaces are considered disconnected. Some assumptions about the nature of the sets involved are not fully explored.

Mikemaths
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Can a disconnected space be a disjoint union of two infinite sets?
Must the disjoint subspaces be finite?
 
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No, the connected components need not be finite, nor do they have to be compact.
 
Mikemaths said:
Can a disconnected space be a disjoint union of two infinite sets?
Sure. E.g.T=[0,1]\cup [2,3]\subset\mathbb{R}.

Well, just take any two disjoint infinite open subsets of some topological space, then their union is by definition disconnected.
 
Landau wrote, in part:

" Well, just take any two disjoint infinite open subsets of some topological space, then their union is by definition disconnected."

I think we also need that the intersection of their closures is empty, e.g.,

(-oo,1)\/(1,oo) is not a disconnection of R, since 1 belongs to both their closures,

IOW, I think we need that the open sets have no limit point in common.
 
The reason it's not a disconnection of R is because neither has 1 in it, not because 1 is in both of their closures.

But this isn't really relevant, because (-\infty, 1) and (1, \infty) is a disjoint cover of the topological space \mathbb{R}-{1}
 
O.K, my bad: the actual statement should be that X is disconnected iff (def.)

X=A\/B , with ClA /\B =empty =A/\ClB , with \/ =union, /\ intersection, Cl=closure

and A, B subsets of X. And Landau was right.
 

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