📂Topology

First Countability and Second Countability of Metric Spaces

Theorem

• [1]: Every metric space is first-countable.
• [2]: Every separable metric space is second-countable.

Description

After seeing all sorts of abstract spaces in topology, one realizes how convenient and nice metric spaces are.

Proof

[1]

For a metric space $\left( X , d \right)$, if we say $x \in X$, $$\left\{ \left. B_{d} \left(x , {{1} \over {n}} \right) \ \right| \ n \in \mathbb{N} \right\}$$ is a countable local base for $x$, hence $X$ is first-countable.

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[2]

If a metric space $\left( X , d \right)$ has a countable and dense $A \subset X$, then $X$ is a separable metric space. Since $A$ is countable, $$\mathscr{B} := \left\{ \left. B_{d} \left(a , {{1} \over {n}} \right) \ \right| \ a \in A, n \in \mathbb{N} \right\} = \bigcup_{ a \in A } \left\{ \left. B_{d} \left(x , {{1} \over {n}} \right) \ \right| \ n \in \mathbb{N} \right\}$$ is also countable. Showing this $\mathscr{B}$ serves as a basis for $X$ completes the proof.

For an open set $U$ of $X$, if we say $x \in U$, there exists $r>0$ that satisfies $B_{d} \left( x , r \right) \subset U$. Choose $n_{x} \in \mathbb{N}$ such that the reciprocal is less than half of $r$, i.e., satisfies $\displaystyle {{1} \over {n_{x}}} < {{r} \over {2}}$. Because $A$ is dense, $$a_{x} \in A \cap B_{d} \left( x , {{1} \over {n_{x}}} \right)$$ exists. Then $$B_{d} \left( a_{x} , {{1} \over {n_{x}}} \right) \in \mathscr{B}$$ and $$x \in B_{d} \left( a_{x} , {{1} \over {n_{x}}} \right) \subset B_{d} \left( x , r \right) \subset U$$ hence $\displaystyle U = \bigcup_{x \in U} B_{d} \left( a_{x} , {{1} \over {n_{x}}} \right)$.

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Through these two theorems, the following fact can be known.

Corollary

Euclidean space and Hilbert space are second-countable.