MA 676

Chad Linkous

Homework # 1
January 23, 2012

1. Prove that the Cantor set C constructed in the text is totally disconnected and perfect. In other
words, given two distinct points x, y C, there is a point z
/ C that lies between x and y, and yet
C has no isolated points.

Proof. First, we show that the Cantor set C is totally disconnected. Let x and y be two distinct
points contained in C. Since x 6= y, we know |x y| > 0. In fact, there exists a natural number N
such that |x y| > 31N . Now, C ( Ck for all k, so x, y Ck for all k. But, the length of each of
the 2N disjoint closed intervals in CN is 31N . Thus, x and y are contained in distinct closed intervals
comprising CN . These two intervals must have an open interval between them that does not belong
to C, otherwise they would be a single closed interval. Choose a point z from this open interval.
Then z
/ C and lies between x and y. Therefore, C is totally disconnected.
Next, we show that C is perfect. Let  > 0 be given. Then let x C and consider the open
neighborhood N (x). Choose an natural number N so that 31N < . Since C ( CN , we know that x
is contained in one of the 2N disjoint closed intervals comprising CN , say I = [a, b]. Then I ( N (x)
because the length of I is 31N . The endpoints are not removed when constructing Ck+1 from Ck ,
so the endpoints of each of closed intervals comprising each Ck are contained in C. In particular,
a, b C. Thus N (x) contains points of C other than x, namely a and b. Since this is true for all
 > 0, we know x is not an isolated point of C. Therefore, C is perfect.

2. The Cantor set C can also be described in terms of ternary expansions.

(a) Every number in [0, 1] has a ternary expansion
x=

ak 3k ,

where ak = 0, 1, or 2.

k=1

P
k
Note that this decomposition is not unique since, for example, 1/3 =
k=2 2/3 .
Prove that x C if and only if x has a representation as above where every ak is either 0 or 2.
(b) The Cantor-Lebesgue function is defined on C by
F (x) =

X
bk
,
2k

if x =

k=1

ak 3k , where bk = ak /2.

k=1

In this definition, we choose the expansion of x in which ak = 0 or 2.

Show that F is well defined and continuous on C, and moreover F (0) = 0 as well as F (1) = 1.
(c) Prove that F : C [0, 1] is surjective, that is, for every y [0, 1] there exists x C such that
F (x) = y.
(d) Prove that one can extend F to be a continuous function on [0, 1] (Hint: if (a, b) is an open
interval of the complement of C, then F (a) = F (b) and we can define F to have the constant
value F (a) in that interval.)
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MA 676

Chad Linkous

Proof of (a).
(): Let x C. Observe that Ck is composed of 2k disjoint closed intervals, each of which
will be replaced by two disjoint closed intervals upon construction of Ck+1 . We will
refer to these two replacement intervals as left and right intervals with the left
interval consisting of numbers that are less than those in the right interval. Thus x is
restricted to two of the intervals comprising Ck+1 , either a left or right intervalboth
of which are subsets of the interval containing x within Ck . This is true for all k.
Thus, we can construct a ternary expansion for x as follows. The set C1 is composed
of two disjoint closed intervals. If x is contained in the left interval, let a1 = 0; if
x is contained in the right interval, let a1 = 2. Next, x is restricted to two of the
intervals comprising C2 , either a left or right intervalboth of which are subsets of
the interval containing x within C1 . If x is contained in the left interval, let a2 = 0;
if x is contained in the right interval, let a2 = 2. Then in general, x is restricted to
a left or right interval within the set Ck both of which are subsets of the interval
containing x within Ck1 . If x is contained in the left interval, let ak = 0; if x is
contained in the right interval, let ak = 2. This process gives a sequence {ak }
k=1
whose terms are either 0 or 2. Then a ternary expansion for x C is

ak 3k .

k=1

(): Suppose a real number x has a ternary expansion

x=

ak 3k ,

where ak = 0 or 2.

k=1

We will show using induction on k that x Ck for all k, and thus contained in C.
Consider base cases k = 0 and k = 1. Clearly, x C0 since 0 x 1. Next, if a1 = 0
then x (0.1)3 = 1/3; if a1 = 2 then x (0.2)3 = 2/3. So x [0, 1/3] [2/3, 1] = C1 .
This satisfies the base cases.
For the inductive step, assume that x Ck . Then x is contained in one of the 2k disjoint closed intervals comprising Ck , say [a, b]. The construction process of removing
open middle third intervals ensures that every left endpoint in Ck must either be a left
endpoint of Ck1 or the sum of a left endpoint of Ck1 and 2/3k . Since 0 is the only
left endpoint of C0 and each ci is either 0 or 2, it follows that a = (0.c1 c2 c3 . . . ck )3 .
Now, in the set Ck+1 the intervals have length 1/3k+1 , so removing open middle third
set from [a, b] results in two disjoint closed intervalsa left interval [a, a + 1/3k+1 ]
and a right interval [b 1/3k+1 , b]. If ck+1 = 0 then x a + 1/3k+1 and is therefore contained in the left interval. If ck+1 = 2 then x a + 2/3k+1 and is therefore
contained in the right interval. Either way, x Ck+1 . So the inductive step is satisfied.
Therefore, by the principle of mathematical induction, x C.
Hence, x C if and only if x has a representation as above where every ak is either 0 or 2.

MA 676

Chad Linkous

Proof of (b). First, we show that F is well defined. Let x, y C and suppose x = y. Then by part
(a), x and y have ternary expansions
x=

ak 3

and

y=

k=1

ck 3k ,

where ak , ck = 0 or 2.

k=1

If ak = ck for all k, then clearly f (x) = F (y). Therefore, suppose not. The only way for two distinct
ternary expansions to represent the same number is for for one to end in an infinite string of 0s and
the other to endstarting at the same indexin an infinite string of 2s. Suppose there are j terms
in the two expansion prior to the string of 0s or 2s. Then without loss of generality, let
x = (0.a1 a2 . . . aj 000 . . .)3

and

y = (0.c1 c2 . . . cj 222 . . .)3 .

Now, ai = ci for all i < j, and aj = cj + 1. This gives two cases:

Case 1: aj = 1 and cj = 0. Here
F (y) =

X
ck
k+1
2
k=1

j1

X
X
ak
2
=
+
0
+
k+1
k+1
2
2
k=1

k=j+1

j1

X
X
ak
1
+
k+1
2
2k
k=1

j1
X
k=1
j1
X
k=1
j1
X
k=1

k=j+1

ak
(1/2)j+1
+
k+1
1 1/2
2
ak
1
+ j
k+1
2
2
ak
1
+ j +0
k+1
2
2

X
ak
=
2k+1
k=1

= F (x).

MA 676

Chad Linkous

Case 2: aj = 2 and cj = 1. Here

F (y) =

X
ck
k+1
2
k=1

j1

X
X
ak
1
2
=
+
+
j
k+1
k+1
2
2
2
k=1

k=j+1

j1

X
X
ak
1
1
+
+
j
k+1
2
2
2k
k=1

k=j+1

j1
X
ak
1
(1/2)j+1
+
+
1 1/2
2k+1 2j
k=1

j1
X
1
1
ak
+ j + j
=
k+1
2
2
2

k=1
j1
X
k=1

ak
2
+ j +0
k+1
2
2

X
ak
=
2k+1
k=1

= F (x).
This exhausts the possibilities, thus F is well defined on C.
Next, we show that F is continuous on C. Let  > 0 be given. Then let x C and let {xn }
n=0
be a sequence in C that converges to x. Now choose a natural number N so that 1/2N < . Since
M for all
{xn }
n=0 converges to x, there exists a natural number M > N such that |xn x| < 1/3
n > M . Then x and xn must lie in the same interval in Ck for all k > M . Hence the ternary
expansionchoosing those with all 0s and 2sof x and xn must agree for the first M terms. Thus

|F (xn ) F (x)| <

k=M +1

1
1
1
= M < N <
k
2
2
2

for all n > M . Hence, {F (xn )}

n=0 converges to F (x). Therefore, F is continuous.
P
0
Finally, 0 has a ternary expansion of
k=1 3k , so

X
0
F (0) =
= 0,
3k
k=1

and 1 has a ternary expansion of

2
k=1 3k ,

F (1) =

so

X
1
1/2
= 1.
=
k
1 1/2
2
k=1

MA 676

Chad Linkous

P
k where b = 0 or 1. Now,
Proof of (c). Let y [0, 1]. The y has a binary expansion
k
k=1 bk 2

construct a sequence {ak }k=1 by letting ak = 2bk for all k. By part (a),

ak 3k

k=1

is a ternary expansion for a point x C because each ak = 0 or 2. Since bk = ak /2 for all k, we have

X
bk
F (x) =
= y.
2k
k=1

Therefore, F : C [0, 1] is surjective.

Proof of (d). Let (a, b) be an open interval within C c , the complement of C in [0, 1] so that the endpoints a, b C. This interval was removed from a closed interval [p, q] in CN during the construction
of CN +1 for some nonnegative integer N . From part (a),
p=

N
X

ak 3k .

k=1

Now, the length of [p, q] is 1/3N , so

a=p+

1
3N +1

N
X

ak 3k + 0 + 0

k=1

X
k=N +2

and
b=p+

2
3N +1

N
X

X
X
2
2
k
=
a
3
+
,
k
k
3
3k

ak 3k +

k=1

k=1

2
3N +1

k=N +2

Thus,
F (a) =

X
X
bk
1
+
K
2
2K
k=1

N
X
k=1
N
X
k=1

k=N +2

bk
(1/2)N +2
+
2K
1 1/2
bk
1
+ N +1
K
2
2

= F (b).
Now, extend F to [0, 1] by defining F (y) = F (a) for each point in y (a, b) and for all such intervals
(a, b) C c . Then F is clearly continuous at every point in C c , as F is constant on a neighborhood
of each point.
So it is sufficient to show that F is continuous on C. Let x C and let {xn }
n=0 be a sequence in

[0, 1] that converges to x. Construct a sequence {tn }n=0 in C as follows. If xn C then let tn = xn .
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MA 676

Chad Linkous

If xn
/ C, then xn lies in some open interval (pn , qn ) C c ; in this case, let tn = pn if x < xn and
tn = qn if x > xn . Then
|tn x| |xn x|
for all n. So {tn }
n=0 is a sequence in C that converges to x. Then by continuity of F on C, we know
that {F (tn )}
n=0 converges to F (x). By the way we defined F on [0, 1], we have
F (xn ) = F (tn )
for all n, and so {F (xn )}
n=0 converges to F (x). Therefore, F is continuous on [0, 1].