MATH 131 PSET 2 SOLUTIONS

1. Munkres Problems
pg. 91, Problem 1. Show that if Y is a subspace of X, and A is a subset of Y , then the
topology A inherits as a subspace of Y is the same as the topology it inherits as a subspace
of X.
Suppose UA = AUX is an open set in the topology A inherits from X. Then UY = Y UX
is an open set of T , and A UX Y , so UA = A UX = A (Y UX ) is also an open set
in the topology A inherits from Y .
Conversely, suppose UA = A UY is an open set in the topology A inherits from Y .
Then since Y is a subspace of X, we have that there exists UX an open set in X such that
UY = Y UX . Then UA = A Y UX . However, since A Y , we have A Y = A, so this
gives UA = A UX , hence UA is also an open set in the topology A inherits from X.
pg. 91, Problem 6. Show that the following countable collection
{(a, b) (c, d) | a < b and c < d, and a, b, c, d are rational}
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is a basis for R .
It suffices to show that any set of the form (r1 , r2 ) (r3 , r4 ), with ri real, is an open set
with this topology. To do so, we will construct it as an infinite union of our basis elements.
If any of the ri is rational, we can simply take this to be our coordinate. Otherwise, we
can take sequences of rational numbers that converge to the ri , while remaining in the box.
(We can do so because the reals are the completion of the reals.) Then the union of these
sequences will be (r1 , r2 ) (r3 , r4 ).
pg. 101, Problem 11. Show the product of two Hausdorff spaces is Hausdorff.
Label our spaces X, Y . Then we want to show that there exist open sets U1 3 (x1 , y1 )
and U2 3 (x2 , y2 ) in X Y with U1 U2 = . We have that there is A1 , A2 open sets in
X containing x1 , x2 (respectively) with disjoint union, and B1 , B2 open sets in Y containing
y1 , y2 (respectively) with disjoint union. Then A1 B1 and A2 B2 are open sets in X Y
and x1 A1 B1 , and x2 A2 B2 . Moreover, we have since A1 A2 = , we have
(A1 B1 ) (A2 B2 ) = .
Note that we have neglected a couple cases: those when x1 = x2 or y1 = y2 (though we
need not consider the case with both). WLOG suppose y1 = y2 . Then with Ai as above, we
have A1 Y and A2 Y are open sets in X Y , contain (x1 , y1 ) and (x2 , y1 ), respectively,
and have disjoint intersection. Hence the space is Hausdorff.
pg. 101, Problem 12. Show that the subspace of a Hausdorff space is Hausdorff.
Let Y X be the subspace, and y1 6= y2 points in Y . Then considering them as distinct
points in X, we have two open sets in X, U1 and U2 , such that y1 U1 , y2 U2 , and
U1 U2 = , since X is Hausdorff. Then U1 Y 3 y1 and U2 Y 3 y2 are open sets in Y ,
containing y1 and y2 , and (U1 Y ) (U2 Y ) U1 U2 = as desired. Hence Y is Hausdorff.
pg. 101, Problem 13. Show that a space X is Hausdorff if and only if the diagonal
= {x x | x X} is closed in X X.
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Suppose first X is Hausdorff. Then we wish to verify that is closed, or equivalently,

X is open. Suppose (a, b) X X , so a 6= b. Then since X is Hausdorff, there are
open sets Ua 3 a and Ub 3 b such that Ua Ub = . Then Ua Ub X X , is open,
and contains (a, b). Hence X X is open, so is closed in X X.
Conversely, suppose is closed. Then for every pair (a, b) X X , there is an
open set Ua Ub containing (a, b), and containing no points of the form (d, d). Then Ua 3 a,
Ub 3 b, and Ua Ub = , as otherwise we would have a point of the form (d, d) Ua Ub . In
particular, this implies X is Hausdorff.
pg. 101, Problem 16. Consider the five topologies on R given in Exercise 7 of Section 13.

(a) Determine the closure of the set { n1 | n Z+ } under each of these topologies.
(b) Which of these topologies satisfy the Hausdorff axiom? The T1 axiom?

We summarize the results in the following table:

Closure of K Hausdorff T1
T1 {0} K Yes Yes
T2 K Yes Yes
T3 R No Yes
T4 K Yes Yes
T5 [0, ) No No

pg. 111, Problem 9. Let {A } be a collection of subsets of X; let X = A . Let

f : X Y such that f |A is continuous for each .

(a) Show that if the collection {A } is finite, and each set A is closed, then f is contin-
uous.
(b) Find an example where {A } is countable, with each A closed, but f is not contin-
uous.
(c) And indexed set of sets {A } is said to be locally finite if each point x X has a
neighborhood that intersects A for only finitely many values . Show that if the
family {A } is locally finite and each A is closed, then f is continuous.

(a) is immediate by induction on the pasting lemma.

For (b), consider the inclusion map i : Z R, the integers equipped with the Zariski
(cofinite) topology. This is continuous when restricted to any single integer, moreover, any
single integer is a closed subset of Z. However, if we take a bounded subset of R, call it X,
we have f 1 (X) is at most finitely many points of Z is not an open set, contradicting that f
is continuous.
Finally for (c), let V Y be open; we want to show f 1 (V ) X is open. Let u f 1 (V ),
Then take a neighborhood of u that intersects A only finitely many times, and call this U .
Then A U is closed for every , and we only need consider finitely many , so f |U is
continuous by (a). In particular, f 1 (V ) U is an open subset of U , and also of X since U is
open. (There exists U 0 such that U U 0 = f 1 (V ) U , but then finite intersections of open
sets are open.) We therefore have open sets f 1 (V ) U for every u, and taking the union of
all of these, gives us that f 1 (V ) is open.
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pg. 111, Problem 12. Let F : R R R be defined by the equation

(
xy/(x2 + y 2 ) if x y 6= 0 0
F (x y) =
0 otherwise.
(a) Show F is continuous in each variable separately.
(b) Compute the function g : R R defined by g(x) = F (x x).
(c) Show F is not continuous.
For (a), the problem is symmetric so we may WLOG let y be constant. Then setting
Fy (x) = F (x y) for our fixed choice of y, we get either
xy
Fy (x) = 2
x + y2
if y 6= 0 is clearly everywhere continuous, or
F0 (x) = 0
is also clearly continuous.
Next for (b), we have (
1/2 x 6= 0
F (x x) =
0 x = 0,
which is clearly not continuous at 0.
Finally for (c), suppose not. Then taking  = 41 , there is no neighborhood U of 0 on which
|F (U )| < 41 by (b), contradiction.
pg. 111, Problem 13. Let A X; let f : A Y be continuous; let Y be Hausdorff. Show
that if f may be extended to a continuous function g : A Y , then g is uniquely determined
by f .
By contradiction, suppose there are distinct g1 , g2 : A Y , such that g1 |A = f = g2 |A.
Take x A A such that g1 (x) 6= g2 (x). Since Y is Hausdorff, there are open sets V1 3 g1 (x)
and V2 3 g2 (x) such that V1 V2 = . Let U1 = g11 (V1 ), and U2 = g21 (V2 ). Then U1 U2 3 x
is open in X. Then we gave g1 = g2 on U1 U2 A is nonempty. But this contradicts that
V1 and V2 were disjoint.
pg. 118, Problem 7. Let R R consist of all sequences {xi } such that xi = 0 for all
but finitely many i. What is the closure of R in the box and product topologies?
Let us begin with the product topology: Let x = (x1 , x2 , ...) R . Then take any open
set B from our basis that contains x, then we want to show B also contains points of R .
We have that only finitely many coordinates of B are not equal to R, so we can take the last
one with index not equal to R, and call this i. Then (x1 , x2 , ..., xi , 0, 0, ...) R and is in B.
Then since B was arbitrary, we have x R , so R = R .
And onto the box topology: we claim R = R . Consider any point x 6 R , so it is
nonzero in infinitely many coordinates. Then take a basis element B 3 x such that in all
those that x is nonzero, it does not contain 0. Then B R = 0 by construction, hence
x 6 R , so R = R .
pg. 118, Problem 8. Given sequences (a1 , a2 , ...) and (b1 , b2 , ...) of real numbers with with
ai > 0 for all i, define h : R R by the equation
h((x1 , x2 , ...)) = (a1 x1 + b1 , a2 x2 + b2 , ...).
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Show that if R is given the product topology, h is a homeomorphism of R with itself. What
if R is given the box topology?
Since ai 6= 0 and the equations are linear, it is clear that h is bijective. Then note that
h1 would also be linear in every component, so showing h is continuous will imply h1 is
continuous. However, continuity in both the product and box topology is clear by checking
it on basis elements.
2. Other Problems
Problem 1, part (a) (Its the alternating digit map from I 2 I.) Show the map is
injective.
Suppose (x1 , y1 ) = (x2 , y2 ), for xi = 0.xi1 xi2 xi3 ... and yi = 0.y1i y2i y3i .... Then 0.x11 y11 x12 y21 ... =
0.x21 y12 x22 y22 ... implies x1n = x2n and yn1 = yn2 . But this implies x1 = x2 and y1 = y2 .
Show this map is not continuous.
Consider (0.1, 0.2) is open in I. The preimage of this is those pairs (x, y) such that
.1 x < .2 and y is arbitrary. However this clearly isnt open, so the map is not continuous.