The University of Sydney MATH 3901

Metric Spaces

2004

Tutorial 5 PROBLEM SET 5 1. Let X = (X, d) be a metric space. Let (xn ) and (yn ) be two sequences in X such that (yn ) is a Cauchy sequence and d(xn , yn ) 0 as n . Prove that (i ) (xn ) is a Cauchy sequence in X . (ii ) (xn ) converges to a limit x if and only if (yn ) also converges to x. Solution. (i ) By the triangle inequality, d(xm , xn ) d(xm , ym ) + d(ym , yn ) + d(yn , xn ). Let > 0. Since d(xn , yn ) 0 as n , there is N1 such that for all k > N1 , we have d(xk , yk ) < . 3 Since (yn ) is a Cauchy sequence, there is N2 such that for all m, n > N2 , d(ym , yn ) < . 3

Take N = max{N1 , N2 }. Then for all m, n > N , we see that d(xm , xn ) d(xm , ym ) + d(ym , yn ) + d(yn , xn ) < . Hence (xn ) is a Cauchy sequence. (ii ) Using the triangle inequality, we have d(yn , x) d(yn , xn ) + d(xn , x). If xn x as n , then d(xn , x) 0 as n . Since d(xn , yn ) 0 as n , it follows that d(yn , x) 0 as n . Hence (yn ) converges to x. Similarly, if yn x, then xn x. This completes the proof.

2 2. Prove that every Cauchy sequence in a metric space (X, d) is bounded.

Solution. Let (xn ) be a Cauchy sequence of (X, d). By taking = 1, it follows that there is N such that for all m, n N , d(xm , xn ) < 1, and so xn B (xN ; 1) for all n N . Now let r > max{1, d(x1 , xN ), d(x2 , xN ), . . . , d(xN 1 , xN )}. Then we see that xn B (xN ; r) for all n. Hence (xn ) is bounded. 3. Let X = (0, 1) R with the usual Euclidean metric d. Show that (X, d) is not complete.

Solution. The sequence (xn ) = (1/2, 1/3, 1/4, . . . ) in X is a Cauchy sequence in X since it is a convergent sequence in R. Since 0 / X , we see that this sequence does not converge in X . Hence X is not complete. OR: We see that (X, d) is a metric subspace of (R, d) where d is the Euclidean metric. Since X is not closed in R, it follows that X is not complete, by Theorem 1.8 of Chapter 5. 4. Show that the set X of all integers with metric d dened by d(m, n) = |m n|, is a complete metric space. Solution. Note that d is the metric induced by the Euclidean metric on R and (X, d) is a closed subspace of (R, d) and hence is a complete metric space. OR: Try to show that any Cauchy sequence is of the form (x1 , x2 , . . . , xN , xN , xN , . . . ), which clearly converges to xN in X . Hence (X, d) is complete. 5. Show that the set X of all positive integers, with metric d dened by d(m, n) = |m1 n1 |, is not a complete metric space. Solution. Using the denition of d, it is easy to verify that the sequence (xn ) = (1, 2, 3, . . . ) is a Cauchy sequence in X . We see that xn as n . Hence (xn ) does not converge in X and so X is not complete.

3 6. Let X be any nonempty set and d the standard discrete metric on X . Show that any Cauchy sequence in (X, d) is of the form (x1 , x2 , . . . , xN , xN , xN , . . . ), that is, constant from some term on. (Thus such a metric space is complete.) Solution. Recall that d is dened by 0, d(x, y ) = 1, if x = y. Let (xn ) be a Cauchy sequence in (X, d). By taking = 1, it follows that there is N such that for all m, n N , d(xm , xn ) < 1, and so xn = xN for all n N . Hence any Cauchy sequence is of the form (x1 , x2 , . . . , xN , xN , xN , . . . ), which clearly converges to xN in X . Hence (X, d) is complete. 7. Show that any metric space with only a nite number of points is complete. if x = y,

Solution. Let (X, d) be a nite metric space and let r = min{d(x, y ) | x, y X, x = y }. Let (xn ) be a Cauchy sequence in (X, d). Then for any > 0 there is N such that for all m, n N , d(xm , xn ) < . If we choose < r, then for all m, n N , d(xm , xn ) < < r so that d(xm , xn ) = 0 which implies that xm = xn for all m, n N . Hence (xn ) is of the form (x1 , x2 , . . . , xN , xN , xN , . . . ), which clearly converges to xN in X . Hence (X, d) is complete. 8. Show that the metric space d given by

of all bounded real or complex sequences, with

d(x, y ) = sup |xk yk |,

kN

is a complete metric space. Solution. Let (x(n) ) be any Cauchy sequence in the space x(n) = x1 , x2 , . . .
( n) ( n)

, where

4 is a bounded sequence of numbers. Since (x(n) ) is Cauchy, for any > 0 there is an N such that for all n, n > N , d(x(n) , xn ) = sup |xk xk
k ( n) (n )

| < .

It follows in particular that, for every xed k , (1) |xk xk

( n) (n )

| < ,

(n, n > N ).
(1) (2)

Hence for each xed k , the sequence xk , xk , . . . is a Cauchy sequence ( n) of numbers, and so it converges, say xk xk as n . Now we dene x = (x1 , x2 , . . . ) and show that x and xn x. From (1) with n , we have (2)
( n)

|xk xk | < ,

( n)

(n, n > N ).
( n)

Since x(n) = xk is bounded, there is a real number Kn such that |xk | Kn for all k , Hence by the triangular inequality, we see that |xk | |xk xk | + |xk | + Kn , for n > N . This inequality holds for every k , and the right-hand side does not involve k . Hence x = (xk ) is a bounded sequence of numbers. This implies that x . Also it follows from (2) that d(x(n) , x) = sup |xk xk | ,
k ( n) ( n) ( n)

for any n > N . Hence x(n) x as n . Hence 9.

is complete.

Let c be the set of all convergent sequences x = (xk ) of real or complex numbers, with metric induced from that of ( , d), where d(x, y ) = sup |xk yk |.
kN

Show that (c, d) is a complete metric space. [Hint: Show that c is closed in .] Solution. Since any convergent sequence is bounded, it follows that (c, d) is a subspace of ( , d). Since ( , d) is a complete metric space, by Theorem 1.7, it remains to show that c is closed in . Thus, we need to show c = c. Consider any x = (xk ) in c . By Theorem 1.6 of Chapter 4, there is a ( n) sequence of points x(n) = xk in c such that x(n) x as n . [We will show that x is a convergent sequence and so x c.] Thus, for any > 0, there is an N such that for all n N and for all k , we have |xk xk | d(x(n) , x) <
( n)

, 3

5 in particular, for n = N and for all k . Since x(n) is in c, its terms xk form a convergent sequence in R or C. Such a sequence is Cauchy so that for the same , there is N1 such that for j, k N1 , we have |xj
(N ) (N )

xk | <

(N )

. 3

Using the triangle inequality, we see that for all j, k N1 |xj xk | |xj xj
(N )

| + |xj

(N )

xk | + |xk

(N )

(N )

xk | < .

This shows that the sequence x = (xk ) is Cauchy and so is convergent. Hence x c and this completes the proof. 10. Let (X, d) be a metric space and let d be the metric on X dened by d (x, y ) = min{1, d(x, y )}. Show that (xn ) is a Cauchy sequence in (X, d) if and only if (xn ) is a Cauchy sequence in (X, d ). Solution. Note that for any x, y X , d (x, y ) d(x, y ). If (xn ) is a Cauchy sequence in (X, d), then for any > 0, there is N such that for all m, n > N , d(xm , xn ) < , and so for all m, n > N, we see that d (xm , xn ) < . Hence (xn ) is a Cauchy sequence in (X, d ). Next, let (xn ) be a Cauchy sequence in (X, d ). Then for any < 1, there is N such that for all m, n > N , d (xm , xn ) < . If d(xm , xn ) 1, then d (xm , xn ) = 1 > , a contradiction. Thus d(xm , xn ) < 1 and so for all m, n > N , d(xm , xn ) = d (xm , xn ) < . Hence (xn ) is a Cauchy sequence in (X, d).