Open balls contained in other open balls

  • Context: Undergrad 
  • Thread starter Thread starter Mr Davis 97
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Balls
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the relationship between open balls and their closures in metric spaces, specifically examining the claim that the closure of an open ball with a smaller radius is contained within the closure of a larger open ball. Participants explore the definitions and properties of open and closed balls, as well as the implications of these definitions in various metric contexts.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that while it is clear that ##B_{\epsilon /2}(x) \subseteq B_{\epsilon}(x)##, the inclusion ##\overline{B_{\epsilon /2}(x)} \subseteq B_{\epsilon}(x)## requires further explanation.
  • There is a request for an algebraic description of the closure of an open ball and which points are included in the closed ball.
  • Some participants express uncertainty about characterizing the closure of an open ball, acknowledging that the closure is not necessarily the same as a closed ball of the same radius in all metric spaces.
  • One participant suggests that the closure includes all limit points and questions what happens when points approach the limits.
  • There is a discussion about whether ##\overline{B_{\epsilon/2}(x)} \subseteq \overline{B}_{\epsilon/2}(x) \subseteq B_\epsilon(x)## is a valid interpretation.
  • Some participants assert that the closure of an open ball is not necessarily the same as the closed ball with the same radius, referencing external sources for clarification.
  • In the context of the discrete metric, a participant explains that the only relevant sets are ##\emptyset##, ##\{\,x\,\}##, and ##X##, leading to specific conditions under which the inclusion holds.
  • Another participant mentions a result related to the distance from a point to a set in the metric case, suggesting a potential definition or theorem that may apply.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying degrees of understanding and uncertainty regarding the closure of open balls, with some agreeing on certain properties while others highlight the complexity and potential exceptions in different metric spaces. No consensus is reached on the characterization of the closure in all contexts.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge that the closure of an open ball may not align with the closed ball of the same radius in all metric spaces, indicating a limitation in the generalization of these properties.

Mr Davis 97
Messages
1,461
Reaction score
44
I am reading a proof that claims that ##\overline{B_{\epsilon /2}(x)} \subseteq B_{\epsilon}(x)##, where the overline means closure, without really explaining why. It's clear to me that ##B_{\epsilon /2}(x) \subseteq B_{\epsilon}(x)##, but I can't quite see why the former is the case without additional explication.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Mr Davis 97 said:
I am reading a proof that claims that ##\overline{B_{\epsilon /2}(x)} \subseteq B_{\epsilon}(x)##, where the overline means closure, without really explaining why. It's clear to me that ##B_{\epsilon /2}(x) \subseteq B_{\epsilon}(x)##, but I can't quite see why the former is the case without additional explication.
Can you describe the closure algebraically? Which points are in the closed ball?
 
fresh_42 said:
Can you describe the closure algebraically? Which points are in the closed ball?
I'm not sure I am able... I might say that the closure of an open ball is a closed ball with same radius, but I know that this is not necessarily true in general metric spaces. So I'm not really seeing how to characterize the closure of the open ball...
 
The open ball is ##B_\varepsilon(x) =\{\,y\,|\,d(x,y) <\varepsilon\,\}##. The closure includes all limit points, so what do we get if we take the ##y's## to the limits?
 
fresh_42 said:
The open ball is ##B_\varepsilon(x) =\{\,y\,|\,d(x,y) <\varepsilon\,\}##. The closure includes all limit points, so what do we get if we take the ##y's## to the limits?
I'm not seeing it... I'm tempted to say that ##\overline{B_\epsilon(x)} = \{y\mid d(x,y)\le \epsilon \}##, but this is just the closed ball, so this can't be right. I don't know what other avenue to take
 
Mr Davis 97 said:
I'm not seeing it... I'm tempted to say that ##\overline{B_\epsilon(x)} = \{y\mid d(x,y)\le \epsilon \}##, but this is just the closed ball, so this can't be right. I don't know what other avenue to take
Yes, that's the closed ball. So where is your problem? ##d(x,y) \leq \dfrac{\varepsilon}{2} < \varepsilon##
 
fresh_42 said:
Yes, that's the closed ball. So where is your problem? ##d(x,y) \leq \dfrac{\varepsilon}{2} < \varepsilon##
Let's denote the closed ball by ##\overline{B}_\epsilon(x)##.

So is the idea that ##\overline{B_{\epsilon/2}(x)} \subseteq \overline{B}_{\epsilon/2}(x) \subseteq B_\epsilon(x)##?
 
I'm not aware of a difference between ##\overline{B_{\varepsilon/2}(x)}## and ##\overline{B}_{\varepsilon/2}(x)##. The idea is simply that everything closer or equal ##\varepsilon/2## is still strictly closer than ##\varepsilon##.
 
fresh_42 said:
I'm not aware of a difference between ##\overline{B_{\varepsilon/2}(x)}## and ##\overline{B}_{\varepsilon/2}(x)##. The idea is simply that everything closer or equal ##\varepsilon/2## is still strictly closer than ##\varepsilon##.
The difference would be that the closure of an open ball is not necessarily the same as the closed ball with the same radius. This fact is mentioned in the question here https://math.stackexchange.com/ques...sure-of-an-open-ball-equal-to-the-closed-ball
 
  • #10
Mr Davis 97 said:
The difference would be that the closure of an open ball is not necessarily the same as the closed ball with the same radius. This fact is mentioned in the question here https://math.stackexchange.com/ques...sure-of-an-open-ball-equal-to-the-closed-ball
The ##\varepsilon-##notation doesn't make sense in the discrete metric, so I assumed, that you have radii of continuous magnitudes - the usual situation when we consider closed balls. The discrete metric is quite an exception.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Mr Davis 97
  • #11
For the discrete metric, we have as well the inclusion.

## \emptyset \; , \; \{\,x\,\}\; , \; X## are the only sets to be considered here, because as soon as a second point is within a ball, the entire space ##X## is. And ##x## is within the balls, so we only consider ##\{\,x\,\}## and ##X##.

The only way to get ## B_\varepsilon(x) \subseteq \overline{B_{\varepsilon /2}(x)} ## is to have ## B_\varepsilon(x) =\{\,x\,\} ## and ## \overline{B_{\varepsilon /2}(x)}=X##. The first condition yields ##\varepsilon < 1##, so ##\varepsilon /2 < 1/2## and ## \overline{B_{\varepsilon /2}(x)} = \{\,x\,\} ## and they are equal again.
 
  • #12
There is a result, possibly for some a definition, in the metric case , that if x is in Class(S) then d(x,S)=0.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
3K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
4K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
4K