Arch. Math.

71 (1998) 331 ± 332

0003-889X/98/040331-02 $ 1.90/0
 Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel, 1998 Archiv der Mathematik

A simple proof of the Tietze-Urysohn extension theorem

By

ERICH OSSA

Abstract. This note contains a new simple proof of the classical Tietze-Urysohn
extension theorem for continuous functions on closed subspaces of a T4 -space.

When presenting the Urysohn separating lemma and the Tietze extension lemma in an
introductory course on topology, it occurred to me that one might simplify the classical
proofs by proving the Tietze lemma first (using ideas from the proof of the Urysohn lemma)
and obtaining the Urysohn lemma as a corollary. But the new proof, published in [4], turned
out not to be correct; this was observed by G. Wittstock, who also suggested a possible
correction. In the meantime, however, a similar idea had been taken up independently by
M. Mandelkern, and a correct proof was published in [3]. That paper also contains remarks
on the history and other proofs of these lemmas.
The purpose of this note is to present a new proof, which seems now to be the simplest
argument for the Tietze-Urysohn theorem. It is based on a slight generalization of a well
known lemma on T4 -spaces, which, however, I could not find in the literature.
Recall that a space X is called a T4 -space if it satisfies the Tietze axiom that two disjoint
closed subsets can be separated by disjoint open neighbourhoods. Equivalently (see e. g.
[2, p. 87] or [1, Ch. IX, §4]), any open neighbourhood of a closed subspace contains a closed
neighbourhood, and two disjoint closed subsets can be separated by disjoint closed
neighbourhoods. These statements represent in fact the case of an empty subspace A in the
following easy lemma:

Lemma 1. Let A and Y be closed subspaces of the T4 -space X and let U be an open
neighbourhood of Y in X. Assume that C  A is a closed neighbourhood in A of Y \ A,
contained in U \ A. Then there exists a closed neighbourhood Z of Y, contained in U, such
that Z \ A equals C.
P r o o f. As remarked above, the case A ˆ ; is elementary and well known; applying it to
the situation at hand we obtain first a closed neighbourhood Z000 of Y contained in U. It will
suffice to construct (from Z000 ) a closed neighbourhood Z0 of Y contained in U such that
Z0 \ A is contained in C, since then Z :ˆ Z0 [ C will have all the properties stated.
Let D be the closure of A ÿ C. Since C is assumed to be a neighbourhood of Y \ A in A,
the closed sets Y and D are disjoint. Hence Y has a closed neighbourhood Z00 disjoint

Mathematics Subject Classification (1991): Primary: 54D15; Secondary 54C20.

332 E. OSSA ARCH. MATH.

from D. This implies Z00 \ A  C, and Z0 :ˆ Z00 \ Z000 is a closed neighbourhood of Y as

required. h
We can now easily apply the Urysohn argument to prove the full extension theorem:

Theorem 2 (Urysohn-Tietze). Let A be a closed subspace of the T4 -space X. Then any

continuous function f : A ! ‰0; 1Š can be extended to a continuous function g : X ! ‰0; 1Š.
P r o o f. For r 2 ‰0; 1Š let A…r† ˆ fx 2 A j f …x† % rg. Put
B ˆ fr 2 ‰0; 1Š j 2n r is integral for some ng :
For r 2 B we construct, by induction on the exponent of 2 in the denominator of r, closed
subsets X…r†  X such that the following two conditions hold:
1. X…r† \ A ˆ A…r†,
2. X…s† is a neighbourhood of X…r† if r < s.
We may take X…0† ˆ A…0† and X…1† ˆ X. Assume that X…r† with the properties above
have been constructed for all r 2 ‰0; 1Š such that 2n r is integral. Since X…2ÿn …i ‡ 1†† is a
neighbourhood of X…2ÿn i† there is, by the above lemma, a closed neighbourhood
X…2ÿnÿ1 …2i ‡ 1†† of X…2ÿn i† within the interior of X…2ÿn …i ‡ 1††, having the prescribed
intersection X…2ÿnÿ1 …2i ‡ 1†† \ A ˆ A…2ÿnÿ1 …2i ‡ 1††.
The rest of the proof follows the classical Urysohn argument:
g…x† :ˆ inf fr 2 B j x 2 X…r†g
defines a continuous function on X, extending f . Continuity follows simply from the
fact that, for r, s 2 B with r < s, this function has values ^ r and % s on the open set
X…s† ÿ X…r†. h

References
[1] N. BOURBAKI, EÂleÂments de MatheÂmatique, Topologie GeÂneÂrale. Paris 1966.
[2] S. A. GAAL, Point Set Topology. New York-London 1964.
[3] M. MANDELKERN, A Short Proof of the Tietze-Urysohn Extension Theorem. Arch. Math. 60, 364 ±
366 (1993).
[4] E. OSSA, Topologie. Wiesbaden 1992.
[5] L. A. STEEN and J. A. SEEBACH, Jr., Counterexamples in Topology. New York 1970.

Eingegangen am 23. 12. 1994

Anschrift des Autors:
Erich Ossa
Bergische Universität
Gesamthochschule Wuppertal
Fachbereich 7 Mathematik
Gauûstr. 20
D-42097 Wuppertal