Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2017 / ii / Paper 2 / 10F (Topics In Analysis)

The Baire category theorem says that in a nonempty complete metric space, every countable intersection of open dense sets is dense. To prove it, start in an arbitrary nonempty open set $O$ and let $G_n$ be open dense. Inductively choose closed balls $\overline{B}(x_n,r_n)$ with $0<r_n\le 2^{-n}$, contained in $G_n$ and in the interior of the previous ball, with the first also contained in $O$. Density provides a point at each stage, and openness permits the smaller closed ball. The centers are a Cauchy sequence; completeness supplies a limit lying in every closed ball, hence in $O\cap {\bigcap }_n{G}_n$. The proof also works at isolated points, where sufficiently small balls are singletons.

The incomplete metric space $\mathbb{Q}$ is a counterexample: it is the countable union of its closed nowhere dense singletons, so the complements are open dense with empty intersection.

For the sequence in the problem, putEach $E_N$ is closed by continuity. Pointwise convergence makes each point's values a Cauchy sequence, so $[0,1]={\bigcup }_N{E}_N$. By the Baire category theorem, one $E_N$ has nonempty relative interior, which contains a nonempty open interval $J$ in $(0,1)$. This proves the required common tail bound.

If continuous $g_n$ converged pointwise to the rationality indicator, take $ϵ=1/4$ and let $m\to \infty$ in this bound. On $J$, $|g_n-g|\le 1/4$ for $n\ge N$. Hence a fixed continuous $g_N$ is at least $3/4$ at every rational point and at most $1/4$ at every irrational point of $J$. The density of both sets contradicts continuity. Thus the rationality indicator is not a pointwise limit of continuous functions.

Nevertheless $h_n(x)=x^n$ are continuous and converge pointwise to $h(x)=0$ for $x<1$, $h(1)=1$. This limit is discontinuous at $1$: a pointwise limit of continuous functions can be discontinuous.