Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2014 / ib / Paper 4 / 13E (Metric and Topological Spaces)

A metric space is complete if every Cauchy sequence in it converges to a point of that space. The stated shrinking-set characterization is the Cantor intersection theorem together with its converse.

First assume completeness, and choose $x_n\in A_n$. If $m,n\ge N$, then both points belong to $A_N$, so $d(x_m,x_n)\le \mathrm{diam}(A_N)$. The vanishing diameters imply that $(x_n)$ is a Cauchy sequence, hence it converges to some $x\in X$. For every fixed $N$, its tail belongs to the closed set $A_N$, so $x\in A_N$. Thus $x\in {\bigcap }_N{A}_N$. In fact the intersection contains only one point, since any two of its points have distance at most every diameter.

Conversely assume the stated intersection property and let $(x_n)$ be a Cauchy sequence. PutThese closures are nonempty, closed and nested. Taking a closure does not increase the diameter: approximate two points of the closure by points of the set and use continuity of distance. The Cauchy sequence therefore makes $\mathrm{diam}(A_N)\to 0$. Choose $x$ in the intersection. For $n\ge N$, both $x_n$ and $x$ belong to $A_N$, and $d(x_n,x)\le \mathrm{diam}(A_N)\to 0$. Every Cauchy sequence converges in $X$, proving completeness.

Take the incomplete metric space $X=(0,1)$ with its usual distance, andEach is nonempty and closed relative to $X$: it is $X\cap (-\infty ,1/(n+1)]$. The sequence is strictly descending and its diameters are $1/(n+1)\to 0$. Its intersection is empty, since every positive point exceeds $1/(n+1)$ for sufficiently large $n$. The excluded limiting point is zero.

In $\mathbb{R}$, takeThese are nonempty descending sets of diameter $1/n$, with empty intersection. They are not closed sets, so there is no contradiction with the Cantor intersection theorem for the complete metric space $\mathbb{R}$.

In $\mathbb{R}$, takeThe sets are nonempty, closed and strictly descending, but their intersection is empty. Their diameters are infinite, so the shrinking-diameter assumption is essential.