M337 2009

M337: An Open Path Connected Set whose Closure is not Path Connected
The set S will be a simply-connected open set in the usual Euclidean topology of the plane, r2 . Let S and let L = {(0, y) : 3 y 3} . It is clear that S is open (proof omitted). See page 3 for a picture of S and its boundary. The closure of S is S = {(x, y) : |y 2 cos ( / x)| 1 , 0 < x 1} L . ( 1) The points (x, y) for which |y 2 cos ( / x)| = 1 and 0 < x 1 or |y 2 cos ( / x)| 1 and x = 1 are clearly boundary points of S. We claim that each (0, b) L is also a boundary point of S. Let > 0 . Set

{(x,

y) : |y

2 cos ( / x)|

<

1, 0

<

<

1}

Take n

cos cos

1( 1 2 1( 1 2

( (

b b

1)) 1))

, ,

if b if b

<

0
.

such that n

>

2 / and let x x
=

/ (
<

+ 2n

2n) . Then 1 < . n 2

<

2)

For b

0,
|(

b 1 / n) 2 cos ( / x)| = |b 1 / n 2 cos | = |1 1 / n| So (x, b 1 / n) S . Further, the distance of (x, b 1 / n) from (0, b) is, by the choice of n and (2),
( ,

1.

x b 1 / n) (0, b) = (x, 1 / n) < x + 1 / n < . So the open disc D ((0, b)) , with centre (0, b) and radius , contains the point (x, b 1 / n) in S. Hence (0, b) is a boundary point of S . For b < 0 , a similar argument shows that the point (x, b + 1 / n) S D ((0, b)) and again ( 0, b) is a boundary point of S . So the closure of S contains the set on the right hand side of (1). Points (x, y) not in this set can be categorized as (a) to the left of the y-axis, (b) to the right of the line x = 1, (c) between the y-axis and the line x = 1 and above the curve y = 2 cos ( / x) + 1 or (d) between the y-axis and the line x = 1 and below the curve y = 2 cos ( / x) 1 . In each case, it is clear that these points are not boundary points. So the closure of S is as in (1). It is straightforward to prove that S is path-connected. For any points p, q S , a curve parallel to and between the curves y = 2 cos ( / x) + 1 and y = 2 cos ( / x) 1 , that are part of the boundary of S, can be used to join p to a point that is either vertically above or vertically below q or, possibly, q itself. Then a vertical line segment can complete a path joining p to q. Next we claim that, for any (0, b) L , S {(0, b)} is not path connected. On the contrary, suppose that there is path from (0, b) to (2 / 3, 0) S . Let (t ) = (1 (t ) , 2 (t )) , t [ 0, 1] , be a parametrisation of . Then 1 (0) = 0 and 2 (0) We will show that 2 cannot be continuous at 0. Take any > 0 such that 1 . Let > 0 be arbitrary. Without loss of generality we consider t for which |t 0| < and t [ 0, 1] . 1

b. 1 as

M337 2009

Since we have

>

0 , ( )

S and 1 ()

>

0 . So we can choose an integer N

<

>

21 ()) . Then

1 < 1 ( ) . 2N + 1 2N Since 1 is continuous, by the Intermediate Value Theorem, there exist u, v 1 1 1 ( u) = and 1 ( v) = . 2N + 1 2N As is a path in S , we have

1 (0)

<

0, ) such that

2 cos ((2N
=

1) )

1 1

<

2 ( u ) 2 ( v)
b|

<

2 cos ((2N

1) ) 1
=

1,

3) 4)

and If b

1 0 , then by (3)
<

2 cos (2N)

<

<

2 cos (2N ) b
(

3.

and, if b

u 0 , then by (4)

| 2( )

2 (0)|

| 2( )

>

1)

>

1
>

>

v 2 (0)| = |2 (v) b| > 1 b > 1 So 2 is not continuous at 0. This contradiction means that there is no path from (0, b) to (2 / 3, 0) Hence S {(0, b)} is not path connected.
| 2( )

.
S.

Suppose S = S L is path connected. Then, for any point (0, c) L , there would be a path from (0, c) to (2 / 3, 0) S . Let (t ) = (1 (t ) , 2 (t )) , t [ 0, 1] , be a parametrisation of and let I = {t [ 0, 1] : 1 (t ) = 0} . (Intuitively, these are the times when one is in L having started out from (0, c).) Since I is non-empty as 0 I and bounded above by 1, it has a least upper bound t . We claim that t I . For, if not, 1 (t ) > 0 and, by the continuity of 1 at t , there exists > 0 such that

t 1 (t )| < 1 (t ) , for |t t | < and t [ 0, 1] . So, for all such t , 1 (t ) > 0 . Thus any t [ 0, 1] such that t < t < t is an upper bound for I and less than t . This contradiction shows that t I and 1 (t ) = 0 . (Intuitively, t would be the last time one is in L.) Set b = 2 (t ). Then the subpath of given by (t ) = (1 (t ) , 2 (t )) , t [ t , 1] is a path in S {(0, b)} from (0, b) to (2 / 3, 0). This contradicts what we found before. Hence S = S L is not path connected. I
| 1( )

Even adding one point in L to the open, simply connected, set S produces a set that is not path connected. However, S is connected (according to the set-theoretic definition given in Section 4 of Unit D3). This is because S is connected, because path-connected (see Subsection 4.1 of Unit D3) and the closure of a connected set is connected (also fairly easy to prove). See next page for a picture of S and its boundary.

M337 2009

The figure below of S and its boundary is incomplete due to the inability of the computer to draw curves that are of infinite length. So the computer plot cannot go right up to the y-axis. The curves continue oscillating more and more rapidly, infinitely many times, right up to the y-axis and so the set S between the curves also oscillates right up to the y-axis. y 3 y 2 S
=

2 cos ( / x)

x 0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1

-1

-2 y -3 The path connected open set S (yellow shaded) and its boundary (red). END
=

2 cos ( / x)