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Two continuous maps are topologically conjugate if a homeomorphism $H$ between their state spaces satisfies the displayed intertwining identity. It is conjugate maps with a topology-preserving conjugating map. On compact metric spaces, pulling back a compatible metric through $H$ preserves every Bowen metric, and hence topological entropy.

Topological dynamics studies continuous maps and their orbits on topological spaces. For a compact metric space $X$ and a continuous map $T:X\to X$, the pair $(X,T)$ is a compact Hausdorff topological dynamical system.

A continuous map injective map $f:X\to Y$ that is a homeomorphism onto its image with the subspace topology. A continuous map injective map from a compact space into a Hausdorff space is a topological embedding.

A topological space is a set $X$ together with a topology $\tau \subseteq \mathcal{P}(X)$, a family of subsets satisfyingHere $\mathcal{P}(X)$ is the power set; the union may have arbitrarily many members, while the intersection must be finite. The members of $\tau$ are the open sets. These are axioms about subsets, with no assumed metric or surrounding Euclidean space. ^[ref]

For $X=\{a,b\}$, the discrete topology is ${\tau }_d=\{\varnothing ,\{a\},\{b\},X\}$, while the indiscrete topology is ${\tau }_i=\{\varnothing ,X\}$. Both satisfy the axioms. They describe different topological spaces on the same set: the first is Hausdorff and disconnected, while the second is connected and not Hausdorff. Each is compact because $X$ is a finite set.

The identity function $i:(X,{\tau }_d)\to (X,{\tau }_i)$ is a continuous map: the only target open sets have inverse images $\varnothing$ and $X$. Its inverse is not a continuous map, since the target open set $\{a\}$ has inverse image $\{a\}$, which is not an open set in ${\tau }_i$. Thus even a continuous bijection need not be a homeomorphism.

Consider the graph of a function $x\mapsto \sin (1/x)$, using the sine of the multiplicative inverse of $x$, together with a vertical closed interval:Give $T$ the subspace topology from the Euclidean plane. The symbol $\times$ denotes a Cartesian product. The right endpoint $(1,\sin 1)\approx (1,0.841471)$ belongs to $G$. The continuous map $x\mapsto (x,\sin (1/x))$ sends the connected real interval $(0,1]$ onto $G$. Hence $G$ is connected, and its closure $\overline{G}=T$ is connected by closure of a connected set. Every height in $[-1,1]$ is approached as $x$ tends to zero; for example,For $n=1$, these inputs are $p_1=2/(5\pi )\approx 0.127324$ and $q_1=2/(7\pi )\approx 0.090946$. For any other height $y\in [-1,1]$, choose $\theta \ge 1$ with $\sin \theta =y$; then the sequence $(1/(\theta +2\pi n),y)$ lies in $G$ and has limit of a sequence $(0,y)$.

Nevertheless, $T$ has exactly two path components, $G$ and $L$. Within $G$, join inputs $a,b\in (0,1]$ by the continuous path $t\mapsto ((1-t)a+tb,\sin (1/((1-t)a+tb)))$. Within $L$, use $t\mapsto (0,(1-t)c+td)$ for heights $c,d\in [-1,1]$.

The obstruction to a continuous path between $L$ and $G$ is persistent oscillation, not a visible gap. Proof outline: suppose such a path exists, directed from $L$ to $G$, and take its last time in $L$. Immediately afterwards its first coordinate $x(t)>0$ approaches zero and its second coordinate is $\sin (1/x(t))$. The intermediate value theorem forces the first coordinate to pass through inputs of both displayed types arbitrarily close to that departure time. The second coordinate therefore takes both values $1$ and $-1$ arbitrarily close to that time, contradicting continuity. ^[ref]

The sampled graph of a function illustrates the formulas; it does not prove connectedness or the failure of path connectedness. Taking a closure preserves connectedness, but this example shows that it can destroy path connectedness.

Topology studies topological spaces through open sets and continuous maps. Its central equivalence is a homeomorphism: a bijection that preserves continuity in both directions. This lets us distinguish spaces by connectedness or compactness even when numerical metric values are irrelevant. The open interval $(0,1)$ and the real line have the same topology in this sense, although only the former is a bounded set with its usual metric.

The upper panels show an explicit homeomorphism and the inverse image test for a continuous map. The lower panels exhibit an obstruction to a homeomorphism: removing any point from a circle leaves a connected space, whereas removing an interior point from a closed interval gives two connected components.

Homotopy is a different notion: it varies a continuous map continuously with a parameter and may collapse points. For example, $H(x,t)=(1-t)x$ contracts $[0,1]$ to zero. Thus this closed interval and a singleton have the same homotopy type, but there is no homeomorphism between them because there is no bijection. Homotopy equivalence need not preserve compactness. ^[ref]

The abstract viewpoint already appears explicitly in Tietze's 1923 paper: he describes topology as the study of properties invariant under invertible continuous maps with continuous inverses, and discusses axioms for neighbourhoods, citing Hausdorff's 1914 book, page 213. ^[ref]

These sets form a topology: a nonempty union of upper rays is another upper ray, or all of $\mathbb{R}$ when their endpoints have no lower bound; a finite intersection of rays has endpoint the maximum of their endpoints. The whole line must be included. The continuous map $n\mapsto n$ from $\mathbb{N}$ with the cofinite topology to this space is nonconstant, because each upper ray has cofinite inverse image.