Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2017 / ib / Paper 3 / 2G (Analysis II)

A metric space is a complete metric space when every Cauchy sequence converges to a point of that space: for each $\epsilon >0$, the condition $d(x_m,x_n)<\epsilon$ for all sufficiently large $m,n$ must imply existence of $x$ with $d(x_n,x)\to 0$.

A Cauchy sequence in $[0,1]$ is also Cauchy in $\mathbb{R}$, so it converges there by the assumed completeness. Its limit remains between zero and one, since inequalities are preserved under limits. ThereforeThis is an instance of the fact that a closed subset of a complete metric space is complete with its induced metric.

The rational sequence $q_n=10^{-n}\lfloor 10^n\sqrt{2}\rfloor$ satisfies $0\le \sqrt{2}-q_n<10^{-n}$. It is therefore a Cauchy sequence in the induced metric on $\mathbb{Q}$. Any limit in $\mathbb{Q}$ would also be its real limit, which is $\sqrt{2}\notin \mathbb{Q}$. ThusCompleteness concerns limits lying in the space, so being a dense subset of $\mathbb{R}$ does not suffice.

Let $x_n=(\pi /2+2\pi n{)}^{-1}$. The points $p_n=(x_n,1)$ lie on the specified graph and converge in ${\mathbb{R}}^2$ to $(0,1)$. They form a Cauchy sequence in the induced metric, but their only possible limit is absent from the space. Adding $(0,0)$ does not supply that missing limit. Hence the specified space is not complete.

For the unheaded request on $\mathbb{R}$, use the arctangent pullback metricPositivity, symmetry and the triangle inequality follow from the ordinary distance, and injectivity of $\arctan$ gives $d(x,y)=0$ only if $x=y$. The sequence $n$ is Cauchy for this metric, because $\arctan n\to \pi /2$, but cannot converge to any finite real $x$: that would require $\arctan x=\pi /2$. Thus this metric makes $\mathbb{R}$ incomplete, even though it induces its usual topology.