2/23/2017 Cluster Points Mathonline

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ClusterPoints
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ClusterPoints
Example1
Example2

ClusterPoints
Definition:LetAbeasubsetoftherealnumbers.Thenthepointc R isaclusterpointofAif > 0,thedeltaneighbourhoodofc,V (c)
containsatleastonepointfromAdifferentfromc.Alternativelyaclusterpointccanbedefinedsuchthat > 0 a A {c} suchthat
a c < orrather, > 0 V (c) (A {c}) .

Thedefinitionofaclusterpointcsaysthatnomatterhowsmall > 0is,wecanalwaysfindapointotherthancinany neighbourhoodV (c) ,or

equivalently,everyopenintervalaroundthepointcwillcontaininfinitelymanyelementsofthesetA.Alternatively,wecanprovethataspecificpointcis
aclusterpointofthesetAifthereexistsasequence(a n ) fromAsuchthata n c n Nandlimn a n = c .

Note:AclusterpointcofasubsetAofrealnumbersneednotbecontainedwithinA.Also,afinitesubsetAwillcontainnoclusterpointsasitwould
beimpossibleforanyopenintervalaroundctocontaininfinitelymanypointsfromAregardlessofthesizeof sinceAwouldbefinite.

Let'slookatsomeexamplesnow.

Example1
DetermineallpossibleclusterpointsforthesetA = [2, 3) .
Allvaluesofx [2, 3]areclusterpointsofA.Forexample,thepoint2isaclusterpointofAsinceanydeltaneighbourhoodaround2containsatleast
onepointfromAthatisdifferentfrom2asillustratedinthefollowingdiagram:

Toshowthat2isaclusterpointofA,considerV (2) = {x R : x 2 < } ,thatisthesetofxwhichsatisfytheinequality2 < x < 2 + .We

wanttoshowthatnomatterhowsmall > 0is,thatthereexistsapointa [2, 3)suchthat2 < a < 2 + whichisequivalentto0 < a 2 < .
1
Since > 0,byoneofthecorollariestoTheArchimedeanPropertyitfollowsthatthereexistsanaturalnumbern Nsuchthat0 < n < .Ifwe

1 1 1 1
choosea 2 = n

,thenA = 2+ n

,andthereforesince0 < a 2 = n

< then2 < a = 2 + n

< 2+ ,andso2isaclusterpointofA.
1 1
Wenotethat2 2+ n

since n
0 foralln N ).

Similarly,wecanalsoshowthat3isaclusterpointofAeventhough3 [2, 3) usingananalogousargument.WeneedtoshowthatV (3) containsat

leastonepointfrom[2, 3) otherthan3foralln N ,inotherwords,weneedtoshowthatthereexistsana A suchthat
a V (3) = {x R : x 3 < } forall > 0,thatisweneedtoshowthattherealwaysexistsan a A thatsatisfiestheinequality

3 < x < 3 + forall > 0.Wewillshowthatsuchan a satisfies 3 < a < 3 ,whichisequivalentto < a 3 < 0 orrather
1 1
0 < 3 a < .OnceagainbyoneoftheArchimedeancorollaries,since > 0,ifwelet 3 a = n then 0 < 3 a = n < and

1 1
< a 3 = n

< 0 and3 < a = 3 n

< 3 ,andso3isaclusterpointofA.

Infact,anypointontheinterval[2, 3]isaclusterpointofA.
Wecanalsoshowthatspecificpointsarenotclusterpoints.Forexample,considerthepoint4whichisnotaclusterpointofA.Ifwechoose 0 = 1,
thenV (4) = {x R : x 4 < 1} isthesetofx R suchthat3 < x < 5.ButAisdefinedastheinterval[2, 3) ,i.e.,thesetofx R suchthat
0

2 x < 3,andsothereexistsno x A forwhich 3 < x < 5,so 4isnotaclusterpointof A sincethe 0 = 1 > 0neighbourhoodof 4containsno

pointsofA.(Verifyalsothatif0 < < 1thenV (4) containsnopointsfromA,thatisV (4) A = ).

Example2
1
DetermineallpossibleclusterpointsforthesetA = {
n
: n N} .

Theonlyclusterpointofthissetis .Let 0 > 0 andlookatanydeltaneighbourhoodof0,thatisV (0) = {x R : x < } = (, ) .Toshowthat0

1

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2/23/2017 Cluster Points Mathonline
1
isaclusterpointofAweneedtofindann N suchthatxn
V (0) A {0} ,thatisfindingann N suchthat < n

< .Onceagainby
1
thatsameArchimedeanproperty,since > 0 thereexistsann N suchthat < 0 < n

= xn < andso0isaclusterpointofA.

Therearenootherclusterpointsofthissetwhichwewillproveincases.
Case1:Supposethatc < 0.Wewillshowthatforsome 0 > 0thatV (c) A {0} = .Let c = 0 > 0 .Then
0

V0 (c) = {x R : x c < c = 0 } = sincethisinequalityneverholdsas c < x c < c isequivalentto(c) < x c < c and

1
c < xc < c andso 2c < x < 0 ,andthereareno x A suchthat x < 0since > 0forall n N .
n

Case2:Supposethatc > 1 .Thistimeifwechoose 0 = c 1 > 0 ,thenV (c) = {x R : x c < c 1 } = sinceonceagaintheinequality

0
1
c 1 < x c c 1 isequivalentto1 c < x c < c 1 ,and1 < x < 2c 1 ,andtherearenox A suchthat1 < xsince n 1forall
n N .
1
Case3:Supposethat0 < c 1 .ByoneoftheArchimedeancorollaries,since c > 0 thenthereexistsanaturalnumbern c N suchthat
1 1 1 1 1
nc 1
c
< nc andso n c
< c
n 1
.Choose 0 = min{c n
c
,
n 1
c} .Then
c c

1 1
V (c) = {x R : x c < min{c n
c
,
n 1
c}} = .
c

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