MATH 6342

Homework 2 Solutions
Page 83, #2,3,4,8a
Turner/Blecher
464-85-8995
2. Consider the topologies on the set X = a, b, c. Compare them; that is, for each pair of topologies,
determine whether they are comparable, and if so, which is the ner. Which are metrizable?
Solution.
Up to homeomorphism, there are really just nine:
T
1
= {, X} T
2
= {, X, {a}, {a, b}} T
3
= {, X, {b}, {a, b}, {b, c}}
T
4
= {, X, {b}} T
5
= {, X, {a}, {b, c}} T
6
= {, X, {b}, {c}, {a, b}, {b, c}}
T
7
= {, X, {a, b}} T
8
= {, X, {a}, {b}, {a, b}} T
9
= P(X)
We will list for each n {1, 2, . . . , 9}, all the T
k
with the property that T
n
is ner than T
k
. Thus, we will
list corresponding to each T
n
, the set S
n
{T
1
, T
2
, . . . , T
9
} with the property that (T S
n
) (T
n
is ner than T ).
T
1
: {T
1
}
T
2
: {T
1
, T
2
, T
7
}
T
3
: {T
1
, T
3
, T
4
, T
7
}
T
4
: {T
1
, T
4
}
T
5
: {T
1
, T
5
}
T
6
: {T
1
, T
3
, T
4
, T
6
, T
7
}
T
7
: {T
1
, T
7
}
T
8
: {T
1
, T
2
, T
4
, T
7
, T
8
}
T
9
: {T
1
, T
2
, T
3
, T
4
, T
5
, T
6
, T
7
, T
8
}
Only one of these is metrizable, since only one is Hausdor and that one is the discrete topology
(which is always metrizable with the obvious metric).
3. Show that the collection T
c
given in Example 4 of 12 is a topology on the set X. Is the collection
T

= {U|X U is innite or empty or all of X}

a topology on X?
Solution.
(a) Let X be any set, and dene T
c
= {U|X U is countable or empty or all of X}. Then, T
c
,
since X is all of X. Also, X T
c
since X X = is countable.
Let A be an index set, and let U = {U

| A} be a collection of elements of T
c
. Then,
X

A
U

A
(X U

)
If U

= for all A, then clearly this intersection is X. Hence

A
U

T
c
. Otherwise,
we can assume that for at least one A, X U

is countable. Since the intersection of a

countable set with any other collection of sets is countable, we have X

A
U

is countable,
and hence

A
U

T
c
.
1
Similarly,
X
n

i=1
U
n
=
n

i=1
(X U
n
)
which is a nite union of sets which are either countable or all of X, and hence it is either
countable or all of X. Thus X
n

i=1
U
n
is countable either countable or all of X, so
n

i=1
U
n
T
c
.
(b) The collection
T

= {U|X U is innite or empty or all of X}

need not be a topology on X. Consider R with topology T

. Let
U
1
= Q\ {0} and U
2
= {x R|x is irrational}.
Now, U
1
T

and U
2
T

, since both are innite sets. But U

1
U
2
= {}, whose complement
is neither innite nor empty nor all or X, and hence U
1
U
2
/ T

.
4. (a) If {T

} is a family of topologies on X, show that

T

is a topology on X.
(b) Let {T

} be a family of topologies on X. Show that there is a unique smallest topology containing

all the collections T

, and a unique largest topology contained in all T

.
(c) If X = {a, b, c}, let
T
1
= {, X, {a}, {a, b}} and T
2
= {, X, {a}, {b, c}}.
Find the smallest topology containing T
1
and T
2
, and the largest topology contained in T
1
and
T
2
.
Solution.
(a) Let {T

} be a family of topologies, and consider the set S =

. Let P, Q S.
( A) (P T

Q T

)
( A) (P Q T

)
P Q S.
Hence, by induction, S is closed under nite intersections.
Now let B be an index set, and let {C

}
B
be a collection of elements in S.
( B) (C

S)
( A) ( B) (C

)
And since ( A) (T

is a topology), we know that

( A)

B
C

B
C

S.
Thus S is closed under arbitrary unions.
(b) Let S =

A
T

. Then by the previous problem, S is a topology and ( A) (S T

). Now let
T be any topology such that ( A) (T T

). Then by denition of a set intersection, T S,

so that S is unique and is the largest possible topology with this property.
Let R be the set of topologies on X which are ner than T

for every A. Thus a topology

T is in R if and only if T

T for every A. Note R = since the discrete topology is in

2
R. Let S be the intersection of all the topologies in R. By (a) we have that S is a topology.
If A then T

T for all T R, and hence T

S. Since this is true for all A we

have S R. Clearly S is contained inside than any other topology in R. Thus S is the unique
smallest topology containing all the T

.
(c) X = {a, b, c}
T
1
= {, X, {a}, {a, b}} T
2
= {, X, {a}, {b, c}}
The largest topology contained in both T
1
and T
2
is by the previous problem T
1
T
2
= {, X, {a}}.
The smallest topology containing both T
1
and T
2
is the set {, X, {a}, {b}, {a, b}, {b, c}}
5. It is (, 1].
6. Almost all did the rst part of this OK. Since it is ner, it is Hausdor. It is easy to see that it is
separable (has a countable dense set). It is not connected, since the line equals the disjoint union of
the open sets (, 0) and [0, ). Later we will see that it is not metrizable.
7. It is easy to see that this is a total order. It is not comparable with the standard topology on
[0, 1] [0, 1], to see this note that clearly most of the sets in the given subbasis are not open in the
standard topology. Conversely, given a small open disk D of radius 1/4 say around (1, 0), it is easy
to see that if E is a nite intersection of sets in the given subbasis, and if (1, 0) E, then E contains
a vertical line of height 1. Thus E D. Hence D is not open in the order topology.
The ordered square is clearly Hausdor. It is connected, but not path connected (there is no continuous
path from (0, 0) to (1, 1)). One can show that it is not metrizable.
8. (a) Apply Lemma 13.2 in the text (NOTE: this is the denition of a basis for a topology from class)
to show that the countable collection
B = {(a, b)|a < b, a and b rational}
is a basis for the standard topology on R.
Solution.
Suppose that U is open in the standard topology on R, and that x U. Since the collection of open
intervals is a basis for the standard topology, there are numbers a < x < b such that (a, b) U. By
density of the rationals there are rationals c, d such that a < c < x < d < b. Thus x (c, d) U.
Since (c, d) B we have shown that B is a basis as required.
3