Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2019/ib/paper-4/12e/b/ii/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 ib Paper 4 12E b ii Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
Let be any sequence in a complete, totally bounded metric space . Cover by finitely many balls of radius ; one contains infinitely many terms. From those terms choose an infinite subsequence lying in one ball of radius , and continue. The diagonal argument produces a subsequence whose tail from its th term onward lies in a ball of radius . Hencewhenever , so the subsequence is Cauchy. Completeness makes it converge in .
Every sequence in therefore has a convergent subsequence, so is sequentially compact. Sequential compactness is equivalent to compactness for metric spaces, and thus is compact. This proves that a complete totally bounded metric space is compact.
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