Undergrad Is a dense, locally compact subspace always open in a compact Hausdorff space?

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SUMMARY

In a compact Hausdorff space \(X\), any dense, locally compact subspace \(S\) is necessarily open. This conclusion is derived from the properties of compactness and local compactness within the context of Hausdorff spaces. The discussion highlights the importance of these topological properties in establishing the openness of subspaces. Janssens provided a correct solution to this problem, demonstrating the application of these concepts effectively.

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  • Study the properties of compact Hausdorff spaces in detail
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Euge
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Here is this week's POTW:

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Let $X$ be a compact Hausdorff space. If $X$ contains a dense, locally compact subspace $S$, show that $S$ is open in $X$.
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This week's problem was solved correctly by Janssens. You can read his solution below.
Let $p \in S$ be arbitrary. By local compactness there exists an open subset $U$ of $S$ such that $p \in U$ and the closure $\overline{U}^S$ of $U$ in $S$ is compact in $S$, hence in $X$ as well. Since $X$ is Hausdorff, it follows that $\overline{U}^S$ is closed in $X$, so
$$
\overline{U} \subseteq \overline{U}^S,
$$
where the left-hand side (without the superscript) denotes the closure in $X$.

Secondly, since $U$ is open in the subspace topology of $S$, there exists an open set $O \subseteq X$ such that $U = O \cap S$. We show that $O \subseteq S$. We note that
$$
O \subseteq \overline{O \cap S}.
$$
(Indeed, let $x \in O$ be arbitrary and let $B \subseteq X$ be any open set with $x \in B$. Since $O$ is open and $S$ is dense in $X$, the open set $B \cap O$ intersects $S$. Hence $B \cap (O \cap S) \neq \emptyset$ so $x \in \overline{O \cap S}$.) Next, using the two previously displayed equations in order, we obtain the inclusions
$$
O \subseteq \overline{O \cap S} = \overline{U} \subseteq \overline{U}^S \subseteq S.
$$
This shows that $p$ is an interior point of $S$ with respect to $X$, so $S$ is open in $X$.

Remarks: Compactness of $X$ is not needed. Also, I recall this problem from a lecture I enjoyed in the past, so I do not want to pretend the above solution is entirely my own.
 

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