Arch. Math., Vol. 60, 364-366 (1993) 0003-889X/93/6004-0364 $ 2.

10/0
9 1993 Birkhfiuser Verlag, Basel

A short proof of the Tietze-Urysohn Extension Theorem

By
MARK MANDELKERN

Tietze [8] proved the extension theorem for metric spaces, and Urysohn I10] for normal
topological spaces. Urysohn first proves his Lemma, which is a special case of the
theorem. The proof of the lemma uses a set-theoretic argument which constructs a family
of sets indexed by the rationals, and defines a continuous real-valued function using
infima of subsets of the indices. In rather surprising contrast, the full extension theorem
then makes use of infinite series, the Weierstrass M-test, and uniform convergence. The
purpose of this note is to extend the method of Urysohn's Lemma so as to obtain the
extension theorem directly, without the use of uniform convergence, and without first
proving the lemma. Urysohn's Lemma itself is then no longer required, being an imme-
diate corollary of the theorem.

Theorem (P. Urysohn). Any continuous real-valued function on a closed subspace of a

normal topological space may be extended to a continuous real-valued function on the entire
space.

P r o o f. Let A be a closed subspace of the normal space X. First consider a continuous

function f : A ~ [0, 1], and define

Ar={x~A'f(x)<__r}, (r~)
Us=X-{x~A:f(x)>s}, (s~n(O, 1)).

Index the set P = {(r, s)" r, s ~ Q and 0 < r < s < 1}, so that P = {(r,~ s,): n = !, 2 .... }.
Suppose that closed sets HI, have been constructed in X, for all k < n, so that

(1) Ark=H~ for k<n,

(2) HjcH ~ when j,k<n, r j < r k and s j < s k.

To construct H,, first define J = {j: j < n, rj < r, and sj < s, ) and
K --- {k: k < n, r, < rk and s, < Sk}. Since X is normal, we may construct a closed set H,
in X such that

A,~ ~ U Hj = u ~ = u . = u,~ ~ (3 u ~ .
j~d keK
Vol. 60, 1993 The Tietze-Urysohn Extension Theorem 365

Writing Hr~ for H,, where r = r, and s = s,, we have completed the inductive definition
of a family {Hr~}(r,s)~p of closed subsets of X with the properties

(3) A r = H ~ Cft~SC Us, ((r,s) e P )

(4) H r ~ c H t ~ when r<t and s<u.
N o w define

xr= s~> r urn, ( r E ~ [ 0 , i)),

and let X, = 0 for all r < 0, and Xr = X for all r => I. F o r any (r, s) ~ P, choose t ~ Q so
that r < t < s. Then

X,. c H,.t c H,~ c Ht~ ~ ~ H~,,= X~.

U>S

For r s Q c~ [0, 1),

A~ c X~ r~ A = A c~ (~ H~ c A c~ ~ U~ = A,.
S>r s>r

Thus we have constructed a family {X~}~r of closed subsets of X with the properties
(5) X, c X ~ when r, s e Q and r<s,
(6) X~c~A = A,, (rr
Finally, define
g(x)=inf{r:xr (xsX).
Then g : X --. [0, 1], and since f ( x ) = i n f { r : x r for all x ~ A , we have g l A = f . If
a, b s ] R with a < b, then
g - 1 [(a, b)] = k3 {X ~ - X~: r, s ~ I~ and a < r < s < b}.
Hence g is a continuous extension of f.
As in previous proofs (for example, [4, w 2.1.8]), the case of an arbitrary bounded
continuous function is reduced to the above by a simple mapping of intervals, and of an
unbounded function by a homeomorphism of the line and an interval. []

R e m a r k s. Other proofs of the extension theorem without using uniform conver-

gence have been given in [3], [6, p. 88], [7] and [9]; these proofs, however, involve auxiliary
lemmata and other complexities. Other approaches to Urysohn's original proof, using
uniform convergence, are found in [ll, [2, w3.7 (d)], and [5t.

References
[1] R.L. BLAIR,Proofs of Urysohn's Lemma and related theorems by means of Zorn's Lemma.
Math. Mag. 47, 71-78 (t974).
[2] R. L. BLAIRand A. W. HAO~R, Extensions of zero-sets and of real-valued functions. Math. Z.
136, 41-52 (1974).
[3] E. BONAN,Sur un lemme adapt6 au thhorhme de Tietze-Urysohn. C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris Shr.
A-B 270, 1226-1228 (1970).
366 M , MANDELKERN ARCH. MATH.

[4] R. ENGELKING,General Topology. Warszawa 1977.

[5] S. GRABINER,The Tietze Extension Theorem and the open mapping theorem. Amer. Math.
Monthly 93, 190-191 (1986).
[6] M. KATgTOV,On real-valued functions in topological spaces. Fund. Math. 38, 85-91 (1951);
Corrections in: Fund. Math. 40, 203-205 (1953).
[7] B. M. SCOTT, A "more topological" proof of the Tietze-Urysohn Theorem, Amer. Math.
Monthly 85, 192-193 (1978).
[8] H. TIETZE,Uber Funktionen, die auf einer abgeschlossenen Menge stetig sind. J. Reine Angew.
Math. 145, 9-14 (1915).
[9] H. TON~, Some characterizations of normat and perfectly normal spaces. Duke Math. J. 19,
289-292 (1952),
[10] P. URYSOHN, Uber die M~ichtigkeit der zusammenh/ingenden Mengen. Math. Anu. 94, 262-
295 (1925).

Eingegangen am 10.2. 1992

Anschrift des Autors:
Mark Mandelkern
Department of Mathematics
New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003
USA