Proof that if every infinite subset of S has an accumulation point in S
then S is compact. (The other side of the inequality was proved in class).
Let (S, d) be a metric space in which each infinite subset has a limit point. For
any > 0 an -mesh in S is a set M ⊆ S such that d(x, y) ≥ for all x 6= y ∈ M .
Every -mesh in S is finite, since an infinite -mesh would be an infinite set with no
limit point. Let M() be the family of all -meshes in S, and consider the partial
order (M(), ⊆). This partial order must have a maximal element; if it did not have
one, there would be an infinite ascending chain of -meshes M0 $ M1 $ M2 $ · · ·
and ∪n Mn would be an infinite -mesh. Let M be the maximal -mesh; we claim
that
X = ∪x∈M B(x, ) ,
where B(x, ) is the open ball with center x and radius . That is, each point of S
is within of some point of M . To see this suppose that y ∈ S r ∪x∈M B(x, ).
Then d(y, x) ≥ for every x ∈ M , and M ∪ {y} is therefore an -mesh strictly
containing M contradicting the maximality of M .
Now for each n ∈ N let Mn be a maximal 2−n -mesh and let D = ∪n∈N Mn . Each
Mn is finite, so D is countable subset of S, and it is dense in S.
Let us prove now that S has a countable base.
Let U open in S then for all x ∈ U there exists x > 0 such that Nx (x) ⊂ U .
Since D is dense in S, there exists ξj ∈ D such that d(x, ξj ) < /4 implies that
ξj ∈ Nx /4 (x) ⊂ U . One can check that Nx /4 (ξj ) ⊂ Nx (x). If z ∈ Nx /4 (ξj ) then
d(z, ξj ) < x /4, and since d(x, ξj ) < x /4 we have
d(z, x) ≤ d(z, ξj ) + d(x, ξj ) ≤ x /4 + x /4 < x .
Therefore, z ∈ Nx /4 (ξj ) ⊂ N (x) . By the way Nr (ξj ) ⊂ Nx (x) ⊂ U for all r ∈ Q
and r < x /4. Thus for every x ∈ U we associate an open ball with center at
some point ξj of D an rational radius such that x ∈ Nr (ξj ) ⊂ Nx (x) ⊂ U . Hence,
U = ∪ξj ∈U Nrj (ξj ). Therefore the set B = {Nr (ξ) : r ∈ Q, ξ ∈ D} is a countable
base of S.
To prove that S is compact, it is enough to show that every B cover has a finite
subcover. Let C be a B cover, Since B is countable, so is C, so we can choose an
enumeration C1 , C2 , . . . of C. Let Fi := X r (∪ik=1 Ck ) for all i. Then F1 , F2 , . . . is
a descending chain of closed sets and ∩i Fi = ∅. We claim that some Fi is empty,
meaning that some finite subset of C covers S. If not, choose some xi ∈ Fi . If the
set S of all xi is finite, then at least one xj belongs to infinitely many Fi , hence
to all of Fi , a contradiction. If the set S is infinite, it has a limit point x. Every
neighborhood of x contains infinitely many points of S, hence meets infinitely many
of the Fi . Thus x is in the closure of each Fi . But Fi is closed, hence x belongs to
the intersection of all Fi again a contradiction.
Therefore S has a finite subcover, and it is compact.
