 Solution

A sequentially compact space is one in which every sequence has a subsequence converging to a point of the space. A limit point $\ell$ of $S$ means every open ball around $\ell$ meets $S\setminus \{\ell \}$.

In a compact metric space, a sequence with a finite set of values has a constant subsequence. If its value set is infinite and had no limit point, each point of the space would have a neighbourhood containing at most one point of that value set. A finite subcover would then make the value set finite, a contradiction. It therefore has a limit point in the space, and the permitted subsequence result gives a convergent subsequence. This proves sequential compactness.

For the remaining assertions assume the compact space is nonempty, as required for a fixed-point claim. The displacement function $q(x)=d(f(x),x)$ is continuous by the stated continuity of the metric and of $f$. The extreme value theorem gives a minimum $\delta =q(p)$. If $\delta >0$, then $p\ne f(p)$, and strict decrease of distances impliescontradicting minimality. Thus $\delta =0$ and $p$ is a fixed point. Two distinct fixed points would satisfy $d(p,q)=d(f(p),f(q))<d(p,q)$, also impossible. Hence the fixed point is unique.

On the noncompact real line, takeIts derivative $e^x/(1+e^x)$ is strictly between zero and one. The mean value theorem therefore gives $|f(x)-f(y)|<|x-y|$ for each distinct pair. Yet $f(x)-x=\log (1+e^{-x})>0$, so it has no fixed point. Compactness, rather than merely pointwise strict shrinkage, supplies attainment of a zero displacement in the preceding proof.