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The weak-star topology $\sigma (X^{\ast },X)$ is the coarsest topology making $f\mapsto f(x)$ continuous for every $x\in X$. Its basic neighbourhoods of zero impose finitely many inequalities $|f(x_j)|<ϵ$.

Suppose first that zero had a countable neighbourhood base $(U_n)$ in the entire dual. Choose a basic neighbourhood $V_n\subset U_n$ controlled by a finite set $F_n\subset X$, and let $E_n=\mathrm{span}(F_1\cup \cdots \cup F_n)$. Given $x\in X$, the neighbourhood $W_x=\{f:|f(x)|<1\}$ contains some $U_n$, hence $V_n$. If $x\notin \mathrm{span}{F}_n$, the Hahn-Banach theorem supplies a bounded linear functional $h$ which vanishes on $F_n$ but has $h(x)\ne 0$. Indeed, the finite-dimensional span is closed, and the functional taking $e+tx$ to $t$ on its sum with $\mathbb{F}x$ is bounded because $\mathrm{dist}(x,\mathrm{span}{F}_n)>0$. Every scalar multiple of $h$ lies in $V_n$, contradicting $V_n\subset W_x$. Thus $x\in E_n$, and $X={\bigcup }_n{E}_n$ has countable Hamel dimension.

If $X$ is infinite-dimensional, every finite-dimensional $E_n$ is closed and has empty interior. Completeness rules out their union. For clarity, the Baire category theorem needed here has a direct nested-ball proof: inside a starting open ball choose a closed ball missing $E_1$, then inside its interior choose a closed ball missing $E_2$, and continue with positive radii tending to zero. The centres are Cauchy; their limit belongs to every ball and to none of the $E_n$, a contradiction. A metric topology would have a countable ball base at zero. HenceThis is the weak-star topology on an entire infinite-dimensional Banach dual is not metrizable result. It does not contradict weak-star metrizability of the dual ball for a separable predual: that assertion concerns a bounded subset.

The Banach-Alaoglu theorem states that $B_{X^{\ast }}$ is compact for $\sigma (X^{\ast },X)$ for every normed vector space $X$, whether complete or not. Embed it in the product ${\prod }_{x\in X}\{a\in \mathbb{F}:|a|\le \Vert x\Vert \}$ by its evaluations. Each factor is compact, so Tychonoff theorem makes the product compact Hausdorff. The equations expressing additivity and scalar homogeneity define a closed subset of the product. Its elements are exactly the bounded linear functionals of norm at most one, since the coordinate bounds give $|f(x)|\le \Vert x\Vert$. The induced product topology is precisely weak-star, proving the theorem.

The theorem printed as “Goldstein” is the standard Goldstine theorem: $J(B_X)$ is weak-star dense in $B_{X^{\ast \ast }}$ for the canonical embedding into the bidual. To prove it, fix $\Phi \in B_{X^{\ast \ast }}$ and $f_1,\dots ,f_m\in X^{\ast }$. The set $S=\{(f_1(x),\dots ,f_m(x)):x\in B_X\}$ is convex. If $b=(\Phi (f_1),\dots ,\Phi (f_m))$ were outside its closure, finite-dimensional Hahn-Banach separation theorem would supply coefficients $a_j$ such that, for $f={\sum }_j{a}_j{f}_j$,The real case omits real parts; in the complex case every real-linear separating functional on ${\mathbb{C}}^m$ has the displayed form. The supremum equals the dual norm by multiplying vectors by signs or unimodular scalars. The strict inequality contradicts $\Vert \Phi \Vert \le 1$. Thus $b\in \overline{S}$, which is exactly approximation on every prescribed finite family of weak-star coordinates.

Now take $K=B_{X^{\ast }}$ with its compact Hausdorff weak-star topology. For each $x\in X$, the evaluation $\hat{x}:f\mapsto f(x)$ is continuous on $K$, and Hahn-Banach theorem gives $\Vert \hat{x}{\Vert }_{\infty }=\Vert x\Vert$. Thereforeis the isometric evaluation embedding into continuous functions on a compact dual ball, over the same scalar field as $X$.

For the final sequential assertions, choose a norm-dense sequence $(f_j)$ in the separable dual $X^{\ast }$ and suppose $\Vert x_n\Vert \le M$. Each bounded scalar sequence $f_j(x_n)$ has a convergent subsequence: divide a bounding interval or square into finitely many smaller closed pieces, repeatedly retain one containing infinitely many terms, and let the diameters tend to zero. Successive extraction for $j=1,2,\dots$, followed by a diagonal subsequence $(y_n)$, makes every $f_j(y_n)$ converge.

If $M=0$ the conclusion is immediate. Otherwise, for any $f\in X^{\ast }$ and $ϵ>0$, choose $j$ with $\Vert f-f_j\Vert <ϵ/(4M)$. For sufficiently large $n,m$,Thus $\phi (f)={\lim }_{n}f(y_n)$ exists for every $f$. Taking limits proves linearity, and $|\phi (f)|\le M\Vert f\Vert$ provesThis diagonal argument includes the continuity estimate rather than appealing to a sequential compactness theorem.

If $X$ is not reflexive, choose $\Phi \in B_{X^{\ast \ast }}\setminus JX$, scaling a bidual element outside $JX$ if necessary. The Goldstine theorem proved above supplies $x_n\in B_X$ with $|f_j(x_n)-\Phi (f_j)|<1/n$ for $j\le n$. Norm density and the bound $\Vert J{x}_n-\Phi \Vert \le 2$ extend this convergence to every $f\in X^{\ast }$. Hence $J{x}_n\to \Phi$ weak-star. Every subsequence has the same coordinate limits, so a weakly convergent subsequence with limit $x\in X$ would give $Jx=\Phi$, a contradiction. This sequential Goldstine approximation for a separable dual provesThe construction uses the Goldstine proof already given, not an unproved weak sequential compactness result.