MATH 404 ANALYSIS II - SPRING 2009

SOLUTIONS to HOMEWORK 1

1.
(a) Prove that the union of any (even infinite) number of open sets is open.
(b) Prove that the intersection of two (and hence finitely many) open sets is
open.
(c) Give an example of infinitely many open sets whose intersection is not open.
Solution:

(a) Let U = {Ui | i ∈ I} be any collection of open sets and let U =
i∈I Ui . Take any point x ∈ U . Then x ∈ Ui for some i ∈ I. Since Ui is open,
there is r > 0 such that Br (x) ⊂ Ui . Hence Br (x) ⊂ U which shows that x is an
interior point of U . Consequently, every point of U is an interior point of U so that
U is open. n
(b) Let I1 , . . . Uk be open sets and let x ∈ U := i=1 Ui . Then x ∈ Ui for every
1 ≤ i ≤ k. Since every Ui is open, for every 1 ≤ i ≤ k there is ri > 0 such
 Bri (x) ⊂ Ui . Now define r := min{r1 , . . . , rk }. Then r > 0 and Br (x) ⊂
that
1≤i≤k Bri (x) ⊂ U showing that x is an interior point of U . Consequently, every
point of U is an interior point of U so that U is open.
(c) For every i ∈ N, let Ui = B1/i (0)) be the open ball in R2 of radius 1/i and the

center at the origin. Then i∈N Ui = {(0, 0)} which is not an open set in R2 .
2. If A ⊂ Rn and x ∈ Rn , define the distance of x to A by
d(x, A) := inf |x − y| .
y∈A

(a) Prove that |d(x, A) − d(y, A)| ≤ |x − y|.

(b) Prove that A = {x ∈ Rn | d(x, A) = 0}.
Solution: (a) It suffices to show that d(x, A) ≤ d(y, A) + |x − y|. Indeed, this
implies that d(x, A) − d(y, A) ≤ |x − y|. Changing x with y one get d(y, A) −
d(x, A) ≤ |x − y| which is the same as − |x − y| ≤ d(x, A) − d(y, A). Hence
− |x − y| ≤ d(x, A) − d(y, A) ≤ |x − y|
which is equivalent to |d(x, A) − d(y, A)| ≤ |x − y|. To see that d(x, A) ≤ d(y, A) +
|x − y| holds take any z ∈ A. Then by the triangle inequality one has
|x − z| ≤ |x − y| + |y − z| .
By the definition of d(x, A), the left hand side is bounded below by d)x, A) so that
d(x, A) ≤ |x − y| + |y − z| .
So, d(x, A) − |x − y| ≤ |y − z| for every z ∈ A. Hence d(x, A) − |x − y| is a lower
bound of the set S = {|y − z| | z ∈ A}. By the definition of infimum,
d(x, A) − |x − y| ≤ inf S = d(y, A)
as claimed.
(b) For x ∈ A, d(x, A) = 0. If x ∈ ∂A, then for every ε > 0, there is a ∈ A such
that d(x, a) < ε. But this means that d(x, A) = 0. So, A ⊂ {x ∈ Rn | d(x, A) = 0}.,
Conversely, assume that d(x, A) = 0. We claim that if x ∈ A then x ∈ ∂A. Indeed,
d(x, A) = 0 implies that for every ε > 0 there is a ∈ A such that |x − a| < ε
i.e., Bε (x) ∩ A = ∅. Also Bε (x) ∩ Ac = ∅ since e x ∈ Bε ∩ Ac . So x ∈ ∂A.
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Hence {x ∈ Rn | d(x, A) = 0} ⊂ A. Combining both inclusions one gets equality as

claimed.
3. Let V = (−1, 0) ∪ (0, 1). Show that the sets (−1, 0) and (0, 1) are open and
closed in V . Show that the set A = (−1/2, 1/2) ∩ V is open but not closed in V..
Solution: The set (−1, 0) is open in R and (−1, 0) = (−1, 0) ∩ V , so (−1, 0) is
open in V . Since (0, 1] = (0, 2) ∩ V and (0, 2) is open in R, the set (0, 1] is open in
V . Next, (−1, 0) = V \ (0, 1] and since (0, 1] is open is V , (−1, 0) is closed in V .
In the same way, (0, 1] is closed in V . Since (−1/2, 1/2) is open in R, A is open in
V . The set A is equal to (−1/2, 0) ∪ (0, 1/2) but since the point 1/2 belongs to the
closure of A in V , the set A is not closed in V
4. Let S ⊂ Rn and let f = (f1 , . . . , fm ) : S → Rm . Prove that f is continuous on
S if and only if every fj : S → R is continuous on S.
Solution: Assume that f = (f1 , . . . , fm ) : S ⊂ Rn → Rm is continuous at a ∈ S.
For given ε > 0 there is δ > 0 so that

m 1/2
2
|f (x) − f (a)| = |fj (x) − fj (a)| < ε for all x ∈ S ∩ Bδ (a).
j=1
 1/2
m 2
Since for every 1 ≤ j ≤ m, one has |fj (x) − fj (a)| ≤ j=1 |fj (x) − fj (a)| ,
it follows that
|fj (x) − fj (a)| < ε for all x ∈ S ∩ Bδ (a)
showing that every coordinate function fj : S → R is continuous. Conversely,
assume that every fj : S → R is continuous. Then given ε > 0 there exists δj > 0
so that √
|fj (x) − fj (a)| < ε/ m for all x ∈ S ∩ Bδj (a)
√ δ = min{δj | 1 ≤ j ≤ m}. Then for every x ∈ S∩Bδ (a) one has |fj (x) − fj (a)| <
Define
ε/ m so that
 m 1/2 m 1/2
2
|f (x) − f (a)| = |fj (x) − fj (a)| < ε2 /m =ε
j=1 j=1

which shows that f is continuous.

5.
(a) Prove that if A ⊂ Rn is closed and x ∈ A, then there is r > 0 such that
|x − y| ≥ r for all y ∈ A.
(b) Prove that if A ⊂ Rn is closed and B ⊂ Rn is compact, and A ∩ B = ∅,
then there is r > 0 such that |x − y| ≥ r for all x ∈ A and all y ∈ B.
(c) Give an example in R2 of two closed sets which are not compact so that
(b) does nor hold.
Solution: (a) Since A is closed the complement Ac is open and since x ∈ Ac there
is r > 0 such that Br (x) ⊂ Ac . But this means that |y − x| ≥ r for all y ∈ A.
(b) Using (a), for every y ∈ B there is ry > 0 such that A ∩ Bry (y) = ∅. The
collection of open balls {Bry (y)| y ∈ B} is an open cover of B and since B is compact

k
there are finitely many balls Bry1 (y1 ), . . . , Bryk (yk ) such that B ⊂ i=1 Bryi (yi ).

k
Moreover A ∩ i=1 Bryi (yi ) = ∅. Define r = min{ry1 , . . . , ryk }. Take x ∈ A and
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k
y ∈ B. Then y ∈ Bryi (yi ) for some 1 ≤ i ≤ k since B ⊂ i=1 Bryi (yi ). Then
|x − y| ≥ ri ≥ r as claimed.
(c) In R2 let A = {x, y)| y ≥ e−x } and B = {x, 0)| x ∈ R}. Then A and B are
closed, A ∩ B = ∅. Since for (x, e−x ) ∈ A and (x, 0) ∈ B one has
 
((x, ex ) − (x, e−x ) = e−x → 0 as x → 0
which shows that there is no r as in (b).