Solution Confirmed: Check Your Results Here

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the concepts of infimum and supremum in the context of set theory and real analysis. Participants are examining the correctness of a solution related to identifying lower and upper bounds for a given set.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants are questioning the relevance of certain steps in the original solution, particularly regarding the choice of variables and the definitions of bounds. There is a discussion on the use of arbitrary elements to demonstrate properties of the set.

Discussion Status

Some participants have offered guidance on how to articulate proofs more clearly, suggesting that more detailed reasoning is necessary. There is an acknowledgment of the need for clarity in proofs, especially for those new to the concepts. Multiple interpretations of the problem are being explored, particularly regarding the definitions of lower and upper bounds.

Contextual Notes

There is mention of homework constraints that require detailed explanations in proofs, which may influence how participants approach their reasoning and articulation of solutions.

Kinetica
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Description attached.
Solution attached.

Is my solution correct?
Thank you for your help.
 

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I don't understand the relevance of the solution from third line and onwards. First two lines are correct. Then you should go like:

Consider x in R s.t. x > 0. Then x is not a lower bound for S since x is not less than or equal to all the elements of x; specifically x > 0 while 0 is in S. Thus 0 is the infimum of S.
 
Hi. Thank you for your help.

Is there a specific reason you chose to work with x in R in order to prove the problem?
Probably I indeed wrote the nonsense, but I followed the book's solution for the supremum. It said that infimum is solved similarly. For the supremum, the book used not an x, but an outsider v to prove that v is not the lowest upper bound. Likewise, I chose an outsider t to prove that t is not the greatest lower bound.
Thank you for your help.
 
I believe that it is correct. What the 3rd line and onwards shows is:
while we can obviously see that 0 is a lower bound to the set, if any other lower bound were to exist, it cannot be larger than 0 ( by proof from the link ). Thus, if t is a lower bound to our set S, t <= 0 and so 0 is our inf.
It can be worded better though maybe
 
Right, this is the meaning I was trying to express in my proof. I just don't know how successful I was in that.
 
How to show that the set does not have upper bounds?

I said that the set is not bounded above, thus it does not have upper bounds. There is no u such that for any x in R, x is less or equal to u.
 
If this were for an assignment ( especially if you are assumed to be new at proofs ), I would be a bit more "wordy" -- especially since the question asks you to state "in detail".
So, you must say things like, " suppose t is an arbitrary lower bound.." and show how it relates to your problem, and how what you said even proves anything ( i.e. "therefore, by definition, if t <= c for all lower bounds t.." )
 
Kinetica said:
How to show that the set does not have upper bounds?

I said that the set is not bounded above, thus it does not have upper bounds. There is no u such that for any x in R, x is less or equal to u.

Try a proof by contradiction. Sometimes, if something is super obvious but you cannot prove it somehow, a contradiction proof might work.

( i.e. answer the question: can something bound the set? what happens if you "try"? )
 
Kinetica said:
Is there a specific reason you chose to work with x in R in order to prove the problem?
Probably I indeed wrote the nonsense, but I followed the book's solution for the supremum. It said that infimum is solved similarly. For the supremum, the book used not an x, but an outsider v to prove that v is not the lowest upper bound. Likewise, I chose an outsider t to prove that t is not the greatest lower bound.
Thank you for your help.
I took another look and your solution was fine beside a small mistake. In the fourth line it should be [itex]x' \in S_{1}[/itex] not [itex]x'\in \mathbb{R}[/itex]. Then solution is fine.
 

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