If distinct points of a dynamical system on a compact metric space satisfy in one compatible metric, no compatible metric can make an isometry. On a compact space, all compatible metrics give the same asymptotic-pair property by uniform continuity, whereas an isometry preserves the strictly positive distance between distinct points. In a full shift, a constant sequence and a sequence differing at just one coordinate converge to each other under forward shifts, proving this obstruction directly in the product topology.
Basis of a topology 2026-10-05
A basis of a topology is a family of open sets such that every open set is a union of members of that family. Equivalently, every point of every open set lies in a basis member contained in it. The rectangles form a basis for the product topology of two spaces. This topological meaning differs from a linear-algebra basis.
Cantor space 2026-10-07
Cantor space is the binary sequence space with the product topology of discrete two-point factors. Here the Bernoulli-space synonym refers to this topology, without selecting a particular probability measure. The metric induces the topology. A diagonal subsequence argument gives compactness. Fixing a finite prefix gives a clopen cylinder set. The map is a homeomorphism to the usual Cantor set.
Cylinder set Created 2026-10-05 Updated 2026-10-07
A cylinder set in a product of spaces restricts a finite collection of coordinates and leaves all other coordinates free. It has the form , where is the coordinate projection onto the finite subproduct. Taking to be a product of open sets gives the basic open cylinders for the product topology. In a finite-alphabet full shift, specifying exact letters at finitely many coordinates gives a clopen set.
Epigraph Created 2026-10-05 Updated 2026-10-07
The epigraph is . It is a convex set exactly when is a convex function, and is a sequentially closed set in the product topology exactly when is sequentially lower semicontinuous.
Full shift 2026-10-05
The two-sided full shift on a finite alphabet consists of all functions , with the product topology and the left shift. It is a compact metric space. A compatible metric is
Agreement on increasingly large finite coordinate sets is equivalent to convergence in this topology. The metric above is compatible but is not invariant under the left shift.
Open determinacy 2026-10-06
An infinite game of perfect information with an open set of winning plays for I in the product topology on a discrete move set has a winning strategy in an infinite game for one player. Construct a winning-position attractor in an infinite game by transfinite recursion; ranks give I a terminating descent strategy inside it, and its complement gives II a strategy avoiding every winning prefix. The move set need not be countable, in the usual set theory with axiom of choice.
The ordinary topology on has basic sets for finite . It is the product topology on increasing enumerations, and also the subspace topology on infinite-subset indicator functions in .