Past exam of the metric spaces and complex analysis course of the University of Oxford / 2023 / 1 / a / i

A metric space $(X,d)$ is a bounded set if there is a finite constant $M\ge 0$ such thatFor nonempty $X$, this is equivalent to containment in an open ball of finite radius: the triangle inequality converts a radius bound into a diameter bound, and conversely a diameter bound gives a ball of any slightly larger radius about a chosen point.

It is a complete metric space if every Cauchy sequence in $X$ has a limit of a sequence belonging to $X$. Explicitly, the hypothesis on $(x_n)$ isand completeness requires an $x\in X$ with $d(x_n,x)\to 0$. ThusBoundedness controls distances; completeness ensures that these limiting points remain in the space.