Existence of a limit point implies existence of inifintely many limit points?

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the proof of the statement: "If A' is not empty, then A' is infinite" within the context of metric spaces. Participants explore the implications of having limit points in a non-empty subset A of a metric space (X,d). The conclusion drawn is that it is possible for A' to be non-empty yet finite, as demonstrated by examples of discrete subsets of real numbers approaching a single limit point, such as the set &bigcup_{n=1}^{\infty}\{-\frac{1}{n},\frac{1}{n}\}.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of metric spaces and their properties.
  • Familiarity with the definition of limit points in topology.
  • Knowledge of proof techniques, particularly proof by contradiction.
  • Basic concepts of subsets and their cardinality.
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the properties of limit points in metric spaces.
  • Learn about discrete metric spaces and their characteristics.
  • Explore examples of finite and infinite sets in topology.
  • Investigate the implications of limit point definitions in various metric spaces.
USEFUL FOR

Mathematics students, particularly those studying topology and analysis, as well as educators seeking to understand the nuances of limit points in metric spaces.

julypraise
Messages
104
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement


Prove the following statement is true or not:

the statement:
Let (X,d) be a non-empty metric space and A is a non-empty subset of X. Then if A' is not empty, then A' is infinte.


Homework Equations


Definition of limit point and its negation.


The Attempt at a Solution


I tried to prove by contradiction in this way: (to prove the statement is true)
Suppose p_{1},\dots,p_{N} are limit points of A. Since A has a limit point, it is infinte. Now observe that if p'\in A,p\notin\{p_{1},\dots,p_{N}\} then p' is not a limit point of A, i.e., A\cap B(p';r_{p'})=\{p'\} for some r_{p'}>0. Thus A has a kind of gap inside it.

But from here, I cannot go further. It almost seems that A' finite is consistent.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
julypraise said:
But from here, I cannot go further. It almost seems that A' finite is consistent.

Go with that. I can think of a metric space with one limit point. Can you?
 
Last edited:
Dick said:
Go with that. I can think of a metric space with one limit point. Can you?

Sorry, I tried but couldn't think of one. Could you give me at least a hint? Like, what kind of metric space is it with what kind metric??
 
Well, one obvious way to avoid "an infinite number of limit points" is to start with a space that only contains a finite number of points!
 
HallsofIvy said:
Well, one obvious way to avoid "an infinite number of limit points" is to start with a space that only contains a finite number of points!

Humm.. But, you know, if a set has only finite points then there is no limit point of this set for whatever metric space is talked about. Isn't it?
 
julypraise said:
Sorry, I tried but couldn't think of one. Could you give me at least a hint? Like, what kind of metric space is it with what kind metric??

Nothing fancy. Pick a subset of the real numbers. They should be discrete but approach a single limit point. Like 0.
 
Wow, this one right? \bigcup_{n=1}^{\infty}\{-\frac{1}{n},\frac{1}{n}\}.
 
julypraise said:
Wow, this one right? \bigcup_{n=1}^{\infty}\{-\frac{1}{n},\frac{1}{n}\}.

Looks generally ok to me. But I think you want to include 0 in your subset. What do you think?
 
Last edited:
Dick said:
Looks generally ok to me. But I think you want to include 0 in your subset. What do you think?

Ah... I think it's okay to disprove the statement. I showed that A' is not empty but finite anyway. Thanks!
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 17 ·
Replies
17
Views
3K
Replies
2
Views
1K
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 25 ·
Replies
25
Views
3K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
  • · Replies 18 ·
Replies
18
Views
3K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
3K