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A Lebesgue measurable subset of [0,1] that is invariant under changing finitely many binary digits has measure 0 or 1

Statement

Assume the Axiom of Countable Choice. Let A⊆[0,1] be Lebesgue measurable, and suppose that whenever two points of [0,1] have binary expansions that differ at only finitely many indices, either both lie in A or both lie outside A. Then λ(A) is either 0 or 1.

Facts & Assumptions

Given: The Axiom of Countable Choice and a Lebesgue measurable set A⊆[0,1] invariant under finite changes of binary digits.

[L1]

Assuming countable choice, Lebesgue outer measure, Lebesgue measurability and Lebesgue measure are unchanged by translation (Lebesgue outer measure, Lebesgue measurability and Lebesgue measure are unchanged by translation).

[L2]

Assuming countable choice, every interval with any endpoint convention is Lebesgue measurable with its usual length (A box in Rn with parameters ai≤bi is Lebesgue measurable of measure ∏i<n(bi−ai), whichever of its faces are included).

[L3]

Assuming countable choice, a measurable subset of R admits closed inner approximation and open outer approximation (Assuming countable choice, four equivalent descriptions of a Lebesgue measurable subset of Rn, clauses 1 and 3); a closed subset of the bounded set A⊆[0,1] is compact by A subset of R is compact if and only if it is closed and bounded.

[L4]

Every at most countable subset of R has measure zero (Every at most countable subset of R has measure zero).

[L5]

Q is countably infinite (Q is countably infinite).

Proof

technique · contradiction
1.1L2L4L5construct

Let m:=λ(A) and let D be the set of dyadic rationals in [0,1], that is the numbers k/2n with n∈N and 0≤k≤2n. The set D is at most countable, hence null by [L4]. For fixed n∈N and 0≤k<2n, write In,k:=[k/2n,(k+1)/2n), and for k=2n−1 replace the right endpoint by 1 so that the family (In,k)k<2n partitions [0,1].

1.2L3L6assume-contrachoose

Suppose, for contradiction, that 0<m<1. Choose a real ε>0 with m−ε>m(m+ε). By [L3] choose a compact set K⊆A with λ(K)>m−ε and an open set U⊇A with λ(U)<m+ε.

2.1step 1.1L1L2algebra

Fix n and k,ℓ<2n. Away from the dyadics, translating In,k onto In,ℓ changes only the first n binary digits, so the invariance hypothesis and [L1] give λ(A∩In,k)=λ(A∩In,ℓ). Summing over the partition from step 1.1 and using [L2] gives λ(A∩In,k)=m 2−n for every k, and therefore for every union J of generation-n dyadic intervals one has λ(A∩J)=m λ(J).

2.2step 1.2L2L6choose

For each x∈K, openness of U gives a real rx>0 with (x−rx,x+rx)⊆U. The smaller interval (x−rx/2,x+rx/2) still contains x, so compactness of K gives finitely many points x1,…,xN∈K such that the intervals Ji:=(xi−ri/2, xi+ri/2), where ri:=rxi, cover K. Let ρ:=min⁡1≤i≤N(ri/2)>0, choose n with 2−n<ρ, and let J be the union of the generation-n dyadic intervals meeting K. Then K⊆J. To prove J⊆U, let D be one of those dyadic intervals and choose z∈D∩K. Pick i with z∈Ji. For any y∈D one has ∣y−xi∣≤∣y−z∣+∣z−xi∣<2−n+ri/2<ri, because D has length 2−n and z∈Ji. Hence y∈(xi−ri,xi+ri)⊆U. So every such dyadic interval D lies in U, and therefore J⊆U.

3.1step 2.1step 1.2step 2.2discharge-contradiction∎

Step 2.1 applied to the set J gives λ(A∩J)=m λ(J). Since K⊆A∩J⊆U, steps 1.2 and 2.2 imply m−ε<λ(K)≤λ(A∩J)=m λ(J)≤m λ(U)<m(m+ε), contradicting the choice of ε. Therefore m cannot lie strictly between 0 and 1, and λ(A)∈{0,1}.

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