10-3.

Examples of complete metric spaces

MAU22200 - Advanced Analysis

https://www.maths.tcd.ie/∼zaitsev/Adv-2020
Dmitri Zaitsev zaitsev@maths.tcd.ie

Dmitri Zaitsev (Trinity College Dublin) 10-3. Examples of complete metric spaces 1/5
Completeness of Rk

Theorem
For every 1 ≤ p ≤ ∞, the space (Rk , dp ) is complete, i.e. every Cauchy
sequence is convergent.

Proof.
Let xn = (xn1 , . . . , xnk ) be a Cauchy sequence (Rk , dp ), i.e. ∀ε > 0 ∃N
∀m, n ≥ N dp (xn , xm ) < ε. Since the formula for dp implies (exercise)

|xmj − xnj | ≤ dp (xn , xm ), j = 1, . . . , k,

the sequence (xnj ) ∈ R of the jth components is Cauchy for each j, hence
converges to some x0j ∈ R by the completeness of R. Collect all limits x0j
in a vector x0 := (x01 , . . . , xnk ) ∈ Rk . Then it follows from the formula for
dp that the convergence xnj → x0j for every j implies dp (xn , x0 ) → 0
(exercise), hence (xn ) converges in (Rk , dp ) as desired.

Dmitri Zaitsev (Trinity College Dublin) 10-3. Examples of complete metric spaces 2/5
Completeness of spaces of continuous functions
Theorem
The space C [a, b] is complete with respect to the d∞ metric.

Proof.
Let (fn ) be a Cauchy sequence in C [a, b], then ∀ε > 0 ∃N ∀m, n ≥ N
∀x ∈ [a, b] =⇒ |fm (x) − fn (x)| ≤ d∞ (fm , fn ) < ε/2. (∗)
This shows that for each x ∈ [a, b] the sequence of values (fn (x)) is also
Cauchy, hence by the completeness of R, it must converge to some
number f (x) ∈ R depending on x. Passing to the limit as m → ∞ in (∗),
|f (x) − fn (x)| ≤ d∞ (f , fn ) ≤ ε/2 < ε
under the same assumptions, proving that fn → f uniformly and
d∞ (f , fn ) → 0 as n → ∞. The limit function f is also continuous as a
uniform limit of continuous functions proving the completeness of
(C [a, b], d∞ ).
Dmitri Zaitsev (Trinity College Dublin) 10-3. Examples of complete metric spaces 3/5
Completeness for subspaces
Theorem (completeness characterization for subsets)
Let (X , d) be a complete metric space. Then a subset A ⊂ X is complete
(with respect to the induced metric) ⇐⇒ A is closed.

We use the following lemma that we prove on the next page:

Lemma (sequential characterization of closed sets)
A subset A ⊂ X in a metric space is closed ⇐⇒ for every sequence
xn ∈ A converging in X , one also has limn→∞ xn ∈ A.

Proof of the theorem assuming the lemma.

=⇒ : Assume A is complete and xn ∈ A converges to some x ∈ X , then
(xn ) is Cauchy, which by the completeness of A, converges in A to some
a ∈ A. But then x = a ∈ A by the uniqueness of limits, and A is closed by
the lemma.
⇐=: If A is closed and a sequence xn ∈ A is Cauchy, it converges in X by
the completeness of X . Then it also converges in A by the lemma.
Dmitri Zaitsev (Trinity College Dublin) 10-3. Examples of complete metric spaces 4/5
 Lemma (sequential characterization of closed sets)
A subset A ⊂ X in a metric space is closed ⇐⇒ for every sequence
xn ∈ A converging in X , one has limn→∞ xn ∈ A.

Proof.
=⇒ : Assume A is closed and xn ∈ A converges in X . By contradiction,
assume x := limn→∞ xn 6∈ A. Since A is closed, its complement X \ A is
open, and since x ∈ X \ A, ∃ε > 0 with Bε (x) ⊂ X \ A. But then the
definition of convergence implies ∃N xN ∈ Bε (x) ⊂ X \ A contradicting
the assumption xn ∈ A. Hence limn→∞ xn ∈ A as claimed.
⇐=: Assume limn→∞ xn ∈ A holds for every convergent xn ∈ A. By
contradiction, assume A is not closed, i.e. X \ A is not open. Then
∃x0 ∈ X \ A which is not interior, i.e. ∀n ≥ 1 the ball

B1/n (x0 ) 6⊂ X \ A.

Hence we can find a sequence xn ∈ B1/n (x0 ) ∩ A converging to x0 ∈

/A
contradicting our assumption. Hence A is closed as claimed.
Dmitri Zaitsev (Trinity College Dublin) 10-3. Examples of complete metric spaces 5/5