Convergence in topological space

In summary, in a topological space (X,p), with T being the topology defined as the collection of open subsets V of X for which either p is not a member of V, or p is a member of V and its complement ~V is finite, any sequence with infinite set of terms has a subsequence that converges to p.
  • #1
Cairo
61
0
Let X be an infinite set and p be a point in X, chosen once and for all. Let T be the collection of open subsets V of X for which either p is not a member of V, or p is a member of V and its complement ~V is finite.

Now, let (a_n) be a sequence in X (that is, for all n in N, a_n in X) such that the set of the sequences, {a_n : n in N}, is infinite. Using the definition of convergence in topological spaces, prove that (a_n) has a subsequence which converges to p.

I thought I could do this by showing that if a sequence (a_n) converges to p, then so does every subsequence. But then realized that (a_n) is ANY sequence, so my proof would not hold. I'm also not sure if a sequence even does converge to p!

Any ideas how to prove this result?
 
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  • #2
There are few things that are unclear in your post, but I think what you menat is this:

(1) The set T is the topology of the space (X,p), that is, its elements are the open sets of (X,p).

(2) In a general topological space, sequence convergence is defined by: [itex]a_n \in X[/itex] converges to [itex]a \in X[/itex] iff:

[tex]
\forall O \in T\exists n_0 \in \mathbb N \left(a \in O \wedge n > n_0 \rightarrow a_n \in O\right)
[/tex]

This means that, for any (open) neighborhood of [itex]a[/itex], all terms of [itex]a_n[/itex], for [itex]n > n_0[/itex] will belong to this neighborhood.

(3) Now, you want to prove that, for any sequence, such that its set of terms [itex][tex]\left\{a_n:n \in \mathbb N\right\}[/tex] is infinite will have a convergent subsequence to p. For this topology, note that any neighborhood [itex]O_p[/itex] of p will be a set such that its complement is finite; this implies that there exists an [itex]n_0[/itex], such that, for all [itex]n> n_0[/itex], [itex]a_n \in O_p[/itex]. From this, you may extract a subsequence [itex]a_{n_k}[/itex], convergent, in the above sense, to p.
 

1. What is convergence in topological space?

Convergence in topological space refers to the idea that a sequence of points in a topological space can approach a limit point in that space. This means that as the sequence progresses, the points get closer and closer to the limit point, and eventually converge to it.

2. What is the difference between pointwise convergence and uniform convergence?

Pointwise convergence refers to a sequence of points that converge to a limit point at each individual point, while uniform convergence means that the points in the sequence converge to the limit point at the same rate at every point.

3. How is convergence related to continuity?

In topological space, a function is continuous if and only if it preserves convergence. This means that if a sequence of points converges in the domain of a continuous function, it will also converge in the range of the function.

4. Can a sequence converge to more than one limit point?

No, in a topological space, a sequence can only converge to one limit point. If a sequence has more than one limit point, it is said to be divergent.

5. What is the importance of convergence in topological space?

Convergence is a fundamental concept in topology and is essential for understanding continuity, compactness, and other important properties of topological spaces. It also has practical applications in analysis and other areas of mathematics.

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