Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2024/ib/paper-2/10f/a/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 ib Paper 2 10F a Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
A topological space is compact if every open cover has a finite subcover. It is Hausdorff if every pair of distinct points has disjoint open neighbourhoods.
Let be closed in compact , and let be an open cover of by sets open in . Adding the open set gives a cover of , which has a finite subcover. Removing leaves a finite subcover of . Thus every closed subspace of a compact space is compact.
Now let be disjoint closed subsets of a compact Hausdorff space. They are compact. For each and , choose disjoint open sets and . Fixing , finitely many cover . PutThen contains , contains , and they are disjoint. Finitely many cover . Thereforeare disjoint open neighbourhoods of and . This proves the normality of a compact Hausdorff space.
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