Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-options-i-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2004/e/e1/solution
Past exam of the options I course of the University of Oxford 2004 E E1 Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-31
A metric space is a set with a function satisfying , symmetry and the triangle inequality. A subset is open if every has some open open ball contained in .
For finitely many open sets and in their intersection, choose radii with . The positive minimum radius gives a ball contained in the intersection. Thus every finite intersection is open; the empty intersection is , also open.
For distinct points put . The balls and are disjoint: a common point would make by the triangle inequality. This proves the Hausdorff condition.
A singleton is closed because each has a ball of radius avoiding it, making its complement open. Finite unions of closed sets are closed, as their complements are finite intersections of open sets. Hence every finite subset is closed, including the empty subset.
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