Nagoya University: 2008 1

Problem 1. Let RN denote an N -dimensional Euclidean space, and let d be a metric on

RN . Then, for a ∈ RN and r > 0, call

Br (a) = {x ∈ RN |d(a, x) < r}

an open ball with radius r centered at a. Also, for a subset S ⊂ RN , define

S = {x ∈ RN |B (x) ∩ S 6= ∅ ∀ > 0}.

Then answer the following.

(1) For x ∈ RN and a subset S ⊂ RN (S 6= ∅), show that x ∈ S if and only if there exists a
sequence {xn }∞
n=1 in S so that xn → x as n → ∞.

Proof. (⇒) Suppose first that x ∈ S. Then, for every positive integer n > 0, B1/n (x) ∩ S 6=
∅. So define a sequence {xn }∞ n=1 by xn ∈ B1/n (x) ∩ S. Now consider an arbitrary open
neighborhood U ⊂ S of x. Since U is open, there is an  > 0 so that B (x) ⊂ U . Moreover,
there exists a positive integer M > 0 so that 1/M < . Therefore, if n > M ,

xn ∈ Bn (x) ⊂ BM (x) ⊂ U

and thus the sequence {xn }∞n=1 converges to x.

(⇐) Conversely suppose that there exists a sequence {xn }∞
n=1 of S that converges to x. Then,
by the definition of convergence of a sequence,

B (x) ∩ S

for every  > 0. Therefore x ∈ S as desired.

(2) Using open balls, state the definition of continuity of a map f : RN → RN .

Solution: For every a ∈ RN and every  > 0, there exists some δ > 0 so that

f (Bδ (a)) ⊂ B (f (a)).

(3) Based on the definition given in (2), show that if f : RN → RN is continuous, then
f (S) ⊂ f (S) for every subset S ⊂ RN (S 6= ∅).
Proof. Let y ∈ f (S) be taken arbitrarily. Then there is x ∈ S so that y = f (x). And, for
every  > 0, there is some δ > 0 such that f (Bδ (x)) ⊂ B (f (x)) because f is continuous.
Moreover, Bδ (x) ∩ S 6= ∅. So there is some x0 ∈ Bδ (x) ∩ S 6= ∅, i.e. x0 ∈ Bδ (x) and x0 ∈ S.
Therefore,
f (x0 ) ∈ f (Bδ (x)) and f (x0 ) ∈ f (S).
f (Bδ (x)) ⊂ B (f (x)) implies that f (x0 ) ∈ B (f (x)) and then f (x0 ) ∈ B (f (x)) ∩ f (S). Hence
B (f (x)) ∩ f (S) 6= ∅ and y = f (x) ∈ f (S) as desired.

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