Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-options-i-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2013/e/1/b/iii/solution
Past exam of the options I course of the University of Oxford 2013 E 1 b iii Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-31
Yes: at least one factor topology must be indiscrete. Suppose instead that both have a nonempty proper open set, say and . Thenis open in the product topology. Both coordinate projections of are the full factors, because are nonempty. If were a rectangle , this would force , , hence . But choosing and gives , a contradiction. Thus both factors cannot have nontrivial open sets. This is rectangularity of every product-open set.
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