Properties of Direct Product of Half Open and Open Intervals

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the properties of the direct product of a half open interval and an open interval, specifically in the context of topology and its implications for covering an infinite cylinder with a chart. Participants explore whether the resulting set is open, closed, or neither, and how this relates to the topology of the infinite cylinder.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants inquire about the nature of the direct product of a half open interval, such as ##(a,b]##, and an open interval, such as ##(a,b)##.
  • There is a suggestion that the set defined by ##(a,b] \times (a,b)## consists of ordered pairs and raises questions about its openness or closedness.
  • Some participants assert that the resulting set is neither open nor closed.
  • Concerns are raised regarding the use of the interval ##[0,2\pi)## in relation to covering an infinite cylinder, with references to previous discussions on this topic.
  • There is a proposal that if ##[0,2\pi)## is treated as points on a circle, it could be both open and closed, leading to further discussion on the implications for covering the infinite cylinder.
  • Some participants discuss the topology of ##[0,2\pi)## as a subset of ##\mathbb{R}## versus as a circle, noting that this affects whether the product set can cover the infinite cylinder.
  • There is a suggestion to cover the infinite cylinder with a chart whose domain is an open annulus, but participants debate the specifics of what constitutes an annulus.
  • One participant expresses uncertainty about the definition of a chart, questioning how a domain can be both open and closed.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on whether the direct product of a half open interval and an open interval is open, closed, or neither. The discussion remains unresolved, with multiple competing perspectives on the topology of the intervals and their implications for covering the infinite cylinder.

Contextual Notes

There are limitations regarding the assumptions made about the intervals and their topological properties. The discussion highlights the dependence on definitions and the context in which the intervals are considered, particularly in relation to the topology of the infinite cylinder.

shinobi20
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The 2-D plane is usually constructed as "ℝxℝ" and ℝ is both open and closed. My question is, what is the direct product of a half open and an open interval? Is it also open or half open?
 
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Do you mean something like:

##(a,b] \times (a,b)## ?
 
Math_QED said:
Do you mean something like:

##(a,b] \times (a,b)## ?
For examples, yes.
 
shinobi20 said:
For examples, yes.

It seems a weird question to me:

##(a,b] \times (a,b) := \{(x,y)| x \in (a,b] \land y \in (a,b)\}## How can this set be closed or open? It's a set containing ordered pairs. This might be related to topology, so I'm not qualified to answer this question.
 
Math_QED said:
It seems a weird question to me:

##(a,b] \times (a,b) := \{(x,y)| x \in (a,b] \land y \in (a,b)\}## How can this set be closed or open? It's
Yes, that is why I'm asking, what do you think is it?
 
It's neither open nor closed.
 
micromass said:
It's neither open nor closed.

There is a problem that I found that asks to construct a single chart to cover an infinite cylinder. It is talked about in this thread that the direct product of a half open interval and an open interval somehow yields an open set
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/infinite-cylinder-covered-by-a-single-chart.879193/

andrewkirk said in post #6 that "What has to be open is the domain of the chart" but [0,2π) is not open, so the domain would be [0,2π) x (-∞,∞) not open based on what you said.
 
shinobi20 said:
There is a problem that I found that asks to construct a single chart to cover an infinite cylinder. It is talked about in this thread that the direct product of a half open interval and an open interval somehow yields an open set
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/infinite-cylinder-covered-by-a-single-chart.879193/

andrewkirk said in post #6 that "What has to be open is the domain of the chart" but [0,2π) is not open, so the domain would be [0,2π) x (-∞,∞) not open based on what you said.

That domain is indeed not open.
 
micromass said:
That domain is indeed not open.
Yes, just as I thought, so do you have any idea how should the infinite cylinder be covered by a single chart?
 
  • #10
Cover it with a chart whose domain is an open annulus.
 
  • #11
micromass said:
Cover it with a chart whose domain is an open annulus.
So can I cover it with
##φ^{-1}: (0,1) × S^1 → ℝ × S^1##
##φ^{-1}: annulus → infinite~ cylinder##
 
Last edited:
  • #12
##(0,1)\times S^1## is not an annulus.
 
  • #13
micromass said:
##(0,1)\times S^1## is not an annulus.
You mean, there should be a hole,
##φ^{-1}: (a,b) × S^1 → ℝ × S^1## where 0<a<r<b; r is the radius.
 
  • #14
shinobi20 said:
There is a problem that I found that asks to construct a single chart to cover an infinite cylinder. It is talked about in this thread that the direct product of a half open interval and an open interval somehow yields an open set
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/infinite-cylinder-covered-by-a-single-chart.879193/

andrewkirk said in post #6 that "What has to be open is the domain of the chart" but [0,2π) is not open, so the domain would be [0,2π) x (-∞,∞) not open based on what you said.
If the set [0,2π) is being treated as the points of the circle rather than on R, then 0 = 2π and this is both open and closed. Then [0,2π) x (-∞,∞) is both open and closed. But [0,2π) is misleading notation because it implies the metric of R where 0 and 2π have a positive distance. It would be better to specify something like Ci as a circle and say that Ci x (-∞,∞) is both open and closed.
 
  • #15
FactChecker said:
If the set [0,2π) is being treated as the points of the circle rather than on R, then 0 = 2π and this is both open and closed. Then [0,2π) x (-∞,∞) is both open and closed. But [0,2π) is misleading notation because it implies the metric of R where 0 and 2π have a positive distance. It would be better to specify something like Ci as a circle and say that Ci x (-∞,∞) is both open and closed.
So the domain ##[0,2π) × (-∞,∞)## cannot cover the infinite cylinder since it is also closed?
 
  • #16
shinobi20 said:
So the domain ##[0,2π) × (-∞,∞)## cannot cover the infinite cylinder since it is also closed?
The topology of [0,2π) as a subset of R with the usual metric is different from the topology of [0,2π) as a circle where 2π = 0 with the usual metric.
In the first case, [0,2π) × (-∞,∞) is neither open nor closed. It cannot cover the infinite cylinder.
In the second case, [0,2π) × (-∞,∞) is the entire space and is both open and closed. It is an infinite cylinder.

So if you consider [0,2π) × (-∞,∞) as a subset of R x R, the answer is no. It can not cover the infinite cylinder.
 
  • #17
FactChecker said:
The topology of [0,2π) as a subset of R with the usual metric is different from the topology of [0,2π) as a circle where 2π = 0 with the usual metric.
In the first case, [0,2π) × (-∞,∞) is neither open nor closed. It cannot cover the infinite cylinder.
In the second case, [0,2π) × (-∞,∞) is the entire space and is both open and closed. It is an infinite cylinder.

So if you consider [0,2π) × (-∞,∞) as a subset of R x R, the answer is no. It can not cover the infinite cylinder.
I'm considering ##[0,2π)## as a circle with the usual metric, so ##[0,2π) × (-∞,∞)## does cover the infinite cylinder.

##φ: U → φ(U)~## where ##~U ⊂ [0,2π) × (-∞,∞)~## and ##~φ(U) ⊂ ℝ×ℝ##

But I'm wondering about the definition of a chart, the domain should be open but in this case it is both open and closed.
 
  • #18
shinobi20 said:
But I'm wondering about the definition of a chart, the domain should be open but in this case it is both open and closed.
You should only worry about the properties that the definition needs. If there are other properties (like closed), that doesn't mean it fails to satisfy the definition.
 
  • #19
FactChecker said:
You should only worry about the properties that the definition needs. If there are other properties (like closed), that doesn't mean it fails to satisfy the definition.
Ok, so in this case ##[0,2π) × (-∞,∞)## satisfies the condition and does cover the infinite cylinder with
##U ⊂ [0,2π) × (-∞,∞)##
##φ(U) = (θ,e^z)~## where ##~e^z~## represents the radius.
 

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