Past exam of the options II for mathematics and philosophy course of the University of Oxford / 2013 / E3 / a

If $A$ is closed and $a_n\in A$ converges to $x\in X$, then $x$ cannot lie in the open complement: an open ball about such an $x$ would eventually contain all $a_n$ while missing $A$. Thus $x\in A$.

Conversely, suppose $A$ contains every limit of a sequence in $A$. If $x\in \overline{A}$, every ball $B(x,1/n)$ meets $A$; choose $a_n$ in that intersection. Then $a_n\to x$, so $x\in A$. Hence $\overline{A}=A$, proving that a subset of a metric space is a closed set exactly when it is sequentially closed.

A metric space is complete when every Cauchy sequence in it converges to a point of that space. A sequence is Cauchy when, for each $ϵ>0$, there is $N$ such that $d(x_m,x_n)<ϵ$ whenever $m,n\ge N$. The requirement that the limit lie in the space distinguishes completeness from having limits only in a larger ambient space.

If $A$ is closed in the complete ambient metric space, any Cauchy sequence in $A$ converges in $X$ by completeness, and its limit belongs to $A$ by part (i). Thus $A$ is complete with its restricted metric.

Conversely, suppose $A$ is complete and a sequence $a_n\in A$ converges in $X$ to $x$. A convergent sequence is Cauchy, also in the restricted metric, so completeness of $A$ gives $a_n\to a$ for some $a\in A$. Uniqueness of a metric limit gives $x=a\in A$. Part (i) now makes $A$ closed. Hence