Is the Collection of Rational Balls a Basis for the Euclidean Topology on R^n?

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SUMMARY

The discussion confirms that the collection of rational balls, denoted as \(\mathcal{B}=\{B_r(x) \mid r \text{ is rational, } x \text{ has rational coordinates}\}\), serves as a basis for the Euclidean topology on \(\mathbb{R}^n\). It utilizes the lemma stating that a collection of open subsets forms a basis if every open set can be expressed as a union of these subsets. The argument presented shows that for any open set \(O\) in the Euclidean metric, points with rational coordinates can be surrounded by rational balls, thus satisfying the basis criterion. The discussion also addresses common misconceptions regarding the use of "between" in higher dimensions and corrects a notation error regarding the radius of the balls.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of basic topology concepts, specifically the definition of a basis for a topology.
  • Familiarity with the Euclidean metric space and open sets in \(\mathbb{R}^n\).
  • Knowledge of rational and irrational numbers and their properties in relation to density in \(\mathbb{R}^n\).
  • Basic mathematical notation, including the use of sets and functions.
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the properties of topological bases and their applications in various topological spaces.
  • Explore the concept of dense sets in metric spaces, particularly in \(\mathbb{R}^n\).
  • Learn about the implications of using rational versus irrational coordinates in topology.
  • Investigate common errors and misconceptions in higher-dimensional topology and metric spaces.
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Mathematicians, students of topology, and anyone interested in understanding the foundations of the Euclidean topology and its basis structures.

littleHilbert
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Hello,

there is a basic lemma in topology, saying that:
Let X be a topological space, and B is a collection of open subsets of X. If every open subset of X satisfies the basis criterion with respect to B (in the sense, that every element x of an open set O is in a basis open set S, contained in O), then B is a basis for the topology of X.

With this lemma at hand, it is asked to show that the collection:
\mathcal{B}=\{\text{the set of balls}\, B_r(x)\, \text{with rational radius, where x has rational coordinates}\} is a basis for the Euclidean topology on R^n.

Take any set O, which is open in the Euclidean metric space sense, i.e. any point in O has a ball of radius \varepsilon around it, which is contained in O.

1. If x has rational coordinates, take a ball, whose radius is a rational number smaller than the given \varepsilon.
2. If x has irrational coordinates, we know that the set of points with irrational coordinates is dense in R^n. Hence any such x is between some points with rational coordinates, say a and b. Then it is in the ball around a with radius r=b-a, which is from \mathcal{B} and by 1. contained in O.

Is this explanation correct?
 
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It is perhaps best not to use "between" in dimensions higher than 1.
And certainly r=a-b to get the radius is an error when a,b are multi-dimensional.
 


Ups, of course I meant r=|b-a|. Sorry for that dumb misprint! :smile: Thanks!
 

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