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A subset $Y\subseteq X$ is C-embedded if every continuous real-valued function on its subspace topology extends continuously to $X$. Closed subsets of normal spaces have this property by the Tietze extension theorem. The condition also makes sense for nonclosed subsets.

A closed filter base in a compact space has nonempty intersection. If the space is Hausdorff and every base member is connected, the intersection is connected. Otherwise normality separates its two closed components by disjoint open sets. Compactness of the complement supplies finitely many base members whose intersection lies in that union; directedness then gives a single base member meeting both sides, contradicting its connectedness.

If $\mathcal{B}$ is a countable topological basis of $X$, then $\{B\cap Y:B\in \mathcal{B}\}$ is a countable topological basis of the subspace $Y$. Indeed every subspace-open neighborhood is $Y\cap U$ for an open $U$ of $X$, and a suitable basic set lies between its point and $U$. This proves the first assertion.

Urysohn's metrisation theorem: every second-countable space that is also a T3 space is a metrizable space. Here regularity of a topological space allows a neighborhood of a point to be shrunk to an open neighborhood whose closure is still inside the original one.

We first prove the separation facts needed in a complete proof. Second countability implies the Lindelöf property: for each basic set contained in some member of an open cover choose one such member; these countably many members cover. In particular closed subspaces are Lindelöf. For disjoint closed sets $F,G$, regularity of a topological space and this property give open covers $F\subseteq {\bigcup }_n{U}_n$, $G\subseteq {\bigcup }_n{V}_n$ with ${\overline{U}}_n\cap G=\varnothing$ and ${\overline{V}}_n\cap F=\varnothing$. DefineThese sets are open and contain $F,G$ respectively. They are disjoint: if a point belonged to a term indexed by $n$ in the first union and by $m$ in the second, the term with the larger index would have removed the closure of the other covering set. Thus the space is a normal space.

For completeness, Urysohn's lemma supplies continuous separating functions in a normal topological space. Its construction is as follows. Given disjoint closed $F,G$, choose open sets $O_r$ for dyadic $r\in [0,1]$, with $F\subseteq O_0$, $O_1=X\setminus G$, and ${\overline{O}}_r\subseteq O_s$ whenever $r<s$. Start by shrinking a neighborhood of $F$ inside $X\setminus G$, and insert the successive dyadic sets by the closed-neighborhood shrinking in a normal space. DefineThen $f=0$ on $F$, $f=1$ on $G$, and $0\le f\le 1$. The identities $\{f<a\}={\bigcup }_{r<a}{O}_r$ and $\{f>a\}={\bigcup }_{a<r<1}(X\setminus {\overline{O}}_r)$ prove continuity for $0<a<1$, with the endpoint cases immediate.

Let $\{B_n\}$ be a countable topological basis. For each pair $(n,m)$ with ${\overline{B}}_n\subseteq B_m$, choose a continuous function $f_{nm}:X\to [0,1]$ equal to one on ${\overline{B}}_n$ and zero outside $B_m$. These form a countable family. Given $x\in O$ open, choose $B_m$ with $x\in B_m\subseteq O$, shrink a neighborhood of $x$ inside $B_m$, and then choose $B_n$ inside that smaller neighborhood. ThusConsequently these functions generate the original topology. They also separate distinct points: use the $T_1$ open set $X\setminus \{y\}$ when $x\ne y$. Enumerate them as $f_j$, padding by zero functions if necessary. The map $x\mapsto (f_j(x){)}_j$ is a topological embedding into the countable cube. Pulling back its metric, or directly usinggives a compatible metric. The fact that the functions distinguish distinct points proves positivity for distinct points, the triangle inequality is termwise, and the uniformly bounded tails show that this metric induces exactly the topology generated by the coordinates. Empty and singleton spaces are trivially metrizable spaces. This proves the theorem.

For the application, a separable metric space has a countable topological basis consisting of balls with rational positive radii about a countable dense set, and it is a T3 space. The given product theorems make a countable product of these spaces second countable and a T3 space. Urysohn's theorem makes it a metrizable space. Finally every second countable space is separable: choose a point from each nonempty basic open set; the resulting countable set meets every nonempty open set. Hence the product is separable and a metrizable space.

Urysohn's lemma states that, in a normal space, disjoint closed subsets $A,B$ can be separated by a continuous function $u:X\to [0,1]$ with $u=0$ on $A$ and $u=1$ on $B$.

First use the shrinking consequence of the separation property of a normal space: if a closed set $F$ lies in an open set $G$, there is an open $W$ with $F\subseteq W\subseteq \overline{W}\subseteq G$. To prove it, separate the disjoint closed sets $F$ and $X\setminus G$ by disjoint open neighborhoods $W,V$. Then $\overline{W}\subseteq X\setminus V\subseteq G$.

Let $D$ be the dyadic rationals in $[0,1]$. Set $U_1=X\setminus B$, and shrink around $A$ to choose $U_0$ with $A\subseteq U_0\subseteq \overline{U_0}\subseteq U_1$. At each subsequent dyadic stage, insert between each adjacent pair $s<t$ an open set $U_{(s+t)/2}$ such thatThe shrinking lemma applies because the first set is closed and contained in the last open set. Induction gives $\overline{U_s}\subseteq U_t$ for all dyadic $s<t$. Part (a) now constructs a continuous $u$. Each point of $A$ lies in $U_0$, so has value zero. Each point of $B$ lies in none of the $U_t$, so has value one. This proves the lemma.

For the embedding, let $I=C(X,[0,1])$, a set of continuous functions, and define the evaluation mapEvery coordinate is continuous, so $e$ is continuous in the product topology. The Hausdorff assumption makes singletons closed. For distinct points, Urysohn's lemma applied to their singletons gives a coordinate with different values, so $e$ is injective.

To check the inverse topology, take $x\in O$ with $O$ open. Apply the lemma to $\{x\}$ and $X\setminus O$, choosing a coordinate $u$ with $u(x)=1$ and $u=0$ outside $O$. ThenThis is the preimage of an open coordinate cylinder under $e$. Thus every original neighborhood is detected by coordinate neighborhoods, and $e^{-1}:e[X]\to X$ is continuous. The evaluation map is a topological embedding.

A T0 space distinguishes any two distinct points by an open set containing one and not the other. A Tychonoff space, also called a completely regular Hausdorff space, is a $T_1$ space in which a point outside a closed set can be separated from it by a continuous function: after rescaling, $f(x)=0$ and $f{|}_C=1$ with values in $[0,1]$.

The product topology has the subbasis of a topologyA map into the product is continuous exactly when each coordinate map is continuous. One direction follows by composition with the continuous product projections; the other follows by taking inverse images of the displayed subbasic sets.

Define the diagonal evaluation map $\Delta (x)=(f_{\lambda }(x){)}_{\lambda \in \Lambda }$. Its coordinates are continuous, so the map is continuous by continuity into a product space. Point separation makes it injective. For a basic open set $B=f_{\lambda }^{-1}(U)$,Every open subset of $X$ is a union of such $B$, so its image is open in $\Delta (X)$. The inverse on the image is continuous, and $\boxed{\Delta \text{ is a topological embedding}}$. If $X$ is $T_0$, any two distinct points are distinguished by an open set and then by one basic neighborhood within it. Equality of all coordinates would prevent that distinction. Thus the basis hypothesis alone implies point separation in a $T_0$ space. The unsubscripted $f$ in the printed separation hypothesis is understood as the chosen coordinate $f_{\lambda }$.

For the Sierpiński space $S=\{0,1\}$ with opens $\varnothing ,\{1\},S$, each open $U\subseteq X$ gives a continuous characteristic map ${\chi }_U:X\to S$ with ${\chi }_U^{-1}(\{1\})=U$. These inverse images form the whole topology, hence a basis. In a $T_0$ space they separate points, proving the embedding into $S^{\tau }$.

For a Tychonoff space, use all continuous maps $X\to [0,1]$. Given $x\in U$ with $U$ open, complete regularity supplies $f(x)=0$ and $f=1$ on $X\setminus U$. Then $f^{-1}([0,1/2))$ is an open neighborhood of $x$ contained in $U$. These inverse images form a basis. The diagonal theorem gives an embedding into a product of closed unit intervals.

A three-point space works even without any separation axiom. TakeFor each open $U$ of an arbitrary space, let $g_U=2$ on $U$ and $0$ elsewhere. It is continuous. For each point $a$, let $h_a=1$ at $a$ and $0$ elsewhere. It is also continuous, because its image lies in the subspace $\{0,1\}$ of $Y$, which has the indiscrete topology; equivalently $h_a^{-1}(\{2\})=\varnothing$. The $g_U$ supply every open set as an inverse image, and the $h_a$ distinguish every pair of points. Using the diagonal evaluation map for their combined family gives a universal three-point space for product embeddings:

Finally embed the given completely regular Hausdorff space into a cube $K=[0,1{]}^I$. The Tychonoff theorem makes $K$ compact; it is Hausdorff and hence normal. The image of the compact subset $C$ is compact, so closed in $K$. The Tietze extension theorem says that a continuous bounded real-valued function on a closed subset of a normal space extends continuously to the whole space. The given function on $C$ is bounded by compactness, so apply this theorem to its transported function on the image of $C$ in $K$. Restrict the extension to the image of $X$ and pull it back along the embedding. This yields $\boxed{F:X\to \mathbb{R}\text{ continuous},F{|}_C=f}$. This proves that compact subsets of Tychonoff spaces are C-embedded, using normality of the compact cube.

Define $F(x)=x_1^2/a^2+x_2^2/b^2+x_3^2/c^2-1$. Its gradient is $2(x_1/a^2,x_2/b^2,x_3/c^2)$. It cannot vanish on $F^{-1}(0)$, because the only possible zero is the origin and that point has $F=-1$. The regular level-set theorem therefore makes the ellipsoid a two-dimensional embedded submanifold. Its normal space isand the tangent space is the orthogonal complement of that line.

Two disjoint compact subsets of a Hausdorff space have disjoint open neighbourhoods. For every $p\in P$, separation of a point and a compact set gives disjoint open sets $G_p\ni p$ and $H_p\supseteq Q$. Choose finitely many $G_p$ covering $P$, then take their union for $U$ and the matching finite intersection of the $H_p$ for $V$. The compactness of both subsets is used, once in the point-versus-compact set result and once in the outer finite selection. The ambient Hausdorff space need not be compact or a normal space.

Suppose $Y$ is closed in a normal space $X$ and $|f|<1$ on $Y$ for a continuous real-valued $f$ on $X$. The closed set $Z=\{|f|\ge 1\}$ misses $Y$. Urysohn's lemma supplies $u:X\to [0,1]$ equal to zero on $Y$ and one on $Z$. Then $(1-u)f$ agrees with $f$ on $Y$ and has range in $(-1,1)$. This permits the inverse transform $s\mapsto s/(1-|s|)$ in the proof of unbounded Tietze extension.

Every second-countable space that is also a T3 space is a metrizable space. First regularity of a topological space and the Lindelöf property yield a normal space: cover each of two disjoint closed sets by countably many open sets whose closures avoid the other, and subtract the first $n$ opposite closures from the $n$th neighborhood. The resulting unions are disjoint open neighborhoods. Urysohn's lemma then gives, for each pair of basic sets ${\overline{B}}_n\subseteq B_m$, a continuous function equal to one on the smaller closure and zero outside the larger set. There are countably many such pairs. The shrinking form of regularity of a topological space shows these functions generate the topology, and $T_1$ makes them separate points. Their coordinate map embeds the space into the countable cube, with compatible metric $d(x,y)={\sum }_j{2}^{-j}|f_j(x)-f_j(y)|$. The bounded tails prove compatibility with the product topology. Thus a countable base converts separation axioms into a numerical distance.