Lebl-Basic-Analysis-I · Problem 2.3.9

Sequences and Series

Mathematics · limit-superior-limit-inferior-bolzano-weierstrass

Problem

If S⊂RS \subset \mathbb{R} is a set, then x∈Rx \in \mathbb{R} is a cluster point if for every ϵ>0\epsilon > 0, the set (x−ϵ,x+ϵ)∩S∖{x}(x-\epsilon, x+\epsilon) \cap S \setminus \{x\} is not empty. That is, if there are points of SS arbitrarily close to xx. For example, S:={1/n:n∈N}S := \{1/n : n \in \mathbb{N}\} has a unique (only one) cluster point 0, but 0∉S0 \notin S. Prove the following version of the Bolzano--Weierstrass theorem: Theorem. Let S⊂RS \subset \mathbb{R} be a bounded infinite set, then there exists at least one cluster point of SS. Hint: If SS is infinite, then SS contains a countably infinite subset. That is, there is a sequence {xn}n=1∞\{x_n\}_{n=1}^\infty of distinct numbers in SS.

Related theory

Browse the problem library