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LemmaStatement: AI-adaptedProof: AI-adaptedSession-authored (Fable 5 assisted)precheck passverified 2026-08-05 (gpt-5.6-sol-codex-subscription)
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On an ordinal with its order topology the sets [0,β][0,\beta] and (α,β](\alpha,\beta] form a basis of clopen sets, the isolated points are exactly the non-limit ordinals, and the space is Hausdorff

Statement

Let γ\gamma be an ordinal (Ordinal (von Neumann)), regarded as the set of ordinals below it, linearly ordered by membership (Trichotomy and well-ordering of the ordinals), and give it the order topology (The order topology of a linearly ordered set, with the open rays as a subbasis; order-convex sets, order-density, the least upper bound property, and linear continua). For α,βγ\alpha, \beta \in \gamma write

[0,β]:={ξγ:ξβ},(α,β]:={ξγ:α<ξβ}.[0,\beta] := \{\, \xi \in \gamma : \xi \le \beta \,\}, \qquad (\alpha,\beta] := \{\, \xi \in \gamma : \alpha < \xi \le \beta \,\} .

Then:

  1. Every set of either form is clopen (Topology on a set, open and closed sets, clopen sets, the closed-set axiomatisation, and the coarser/finer comparison), and Bγ  :=  {[0,β]:βγ}    {(α,β]:α,βγ}\mathcal{B}_\gamma \;:=\; \{\, [0,\beta] : \beta \in \gamma \,\} \;\cup\; \{\, (\alpha,\beta] : \alpha, \beta \in \gamma \,\} is a basis for the order topology of γ\gamma (Basis and subbasis for a topology, and the topology generated by a family of sets).
  2. The isolated points of γ\gamma (Interior, closure, boundary, exterior, derived set and isolated point in a topological space) are exactly the ordinals ξγ\xi \in \gamma that are 00 or a successor; a limit ordinal ξγ\xi \in \gamma (Successor and limit ordinals) is not isolated.
  3. γ\gamma with its order topology is Hausdorff (Hausdorff space: distinct points have disjoint open neighbourhoods; every metrizable space is Hausdorff and the indiscrete topology on two points is not).

Regularity is not claimed here, and nothing below asserts any separation property beyond claim 3; the finer separation axioms are not available at this point in the reading order.

Facts & Assumptions

Given: An ordinal γ\gamma with the order topology of the membership order on it.

[L1]

γ\gamma is the set of the ordinals below it; membership is a strict linear order on it, αβ\alpha \le \beta abbreviates "αβ\alpha \in \beta or α=β\alpha = \beta", and αβ\alpha \subseteq \beta holds exactly when αβ\alpha \le \beta (Ordinal (von Neumann), Basic closure properties of ordinals, Trichotomy and well-ordering of the ordinals, Partial order and partially ordered set).

[L3]

A family of open sets is a basis for a topology exactly when every open UU and every xUx \in U admit a member BB of the family with xBUx \in B \subseteq U (Basis and subbasis for a topology, and the topology generated by a family of sets).

[L4]

Arbitrary unions and finite intersections of open sets are open, and a set is closed exactly when its complement is open (Topology on a set, open and closed sets, clopen sets, the closed-set axiomatisation, and the coarser/finer comparison).

[L5]

β+=β{β}\beta^{+} = \beta \cup \{\beta\} is an ordinal, and for ordinals β<α\beta < \alpha holds exactly when β+α\beta^{+} \le \alpha: from βα\beta \in \alpha one gets βα\beta \subseteq \alpha and {β}α\{\beta\} \subseteq \alpha, hence β+α\beta^{+} \subseteq \alpha, and conversely ββ+α\beta \in \beta^{+} \subseteq \alpha. Every ordinal is 00, a successor or a limit ordinal (Basic closure properties of ordinals, Successor and limit ordinals, Ordinal (von Neumann)).

[L6]

A point xx of a space XX is isolated exactly when {x}\{x\} is open, since a neighbourhood NN of xx with NX={x}N \cap X = \{x\} contains an open UU with xU{x}x \in U \subseteq \{x\}, and conversely (Interior, closure, boundary, exterior, derived set and isolated point in a topological space, Neighbourhood of a point and neighbourhood base, with this library's convention that a neighbourhood need not be open).

Proof

technique · direct
1.1

For βγ\beta \in \gamma the set [0,β][0,\beta] is open: if β+γ\beta^{+} \in \gamma then ξβ\xi \le \beta is equivalent to ξ<β+\xi < \beta^{+} by [L5], so [0,β]=γ<β+[0,\beta] = \gamma_{<\beta^{+}}, an open ray; and if β+γ\beta^{+} \notin \gamma then β+γ\beta^{+} \subseteq \gamma, since every ordinal below β+\beta^{+} is β\le \beta and so lies in γ\gamma, whence β+=γ\beta^{+} = \gamma by [L1] and [0,β]=γ[0,\beta] = \gamma, which is open.

L1L2L4L5
1.2

For ξη\xi \ne \eta in γ\gamma the trichotomy of [L1] gives ξ<η\xi < \eta after renaming. By [L5] the inequality ξ<η\xi < \eta gives ξ+η\xi^{+} \le \eta, and since ηγ\eta \in \gamma, [L1] puts ξ+\xi^{+} in γ\gamma as well; so γ<ξ+\gamma_{<\xi^{+}} and γ>ξ\gamma_{>\xi} are open rays, and they contain ξ\xi and η\eta respectively, since ξ<ξ+\xi < \xi^{+} and ξ<η\xi < \eta. They are disjoint: a common point ζ\zeta would satisfy ζ<ξ+\zeta < \xi^{+}, hence ζξ\zeta \le \xi by [L5] and trichotomy, and ξ<ζ\xi < \zeta at once, which [L1] forbids. So claim 3 holds by [L7].

L1L2L5L7
2.1

For α,βγ\alpha, \beta \in \gamma the set (α,β]=γ>α[0,β](\alpha,\beta] = \gamma_{>\alpha} \cap [0,\beta] is open by [L4], being an intersection of two open sets.

L2L4step 1.1
2.2

Every set [0,β][0,\beta] is closed, its complement being the open ray γ>β\gamma_{>\beta}.

L2L4step 1.1
3.1

Every set (α,β](\alpha,\beta] is closed: its complement in γ\gamma is [0,α]γ>β[0,\alpha] \cup \gamma_{>\beta}, a union of an open set by step 1.1 and an open ray, hence open by [L4]. So every member of Bγ\mathcal{B}_\gamma is clopen.

L2L4step 1.1step 2.1step 2.2
3.2

Claim 2, the isolated points. The point 00 is isolated when 0γ0 \in \gamma, since {0}=[0,0]\{0\} = [0,0] is open by step 1.1; and a successor ξ=η+γ\xi = \eta^{+} \in \gamma is isolated, since η<ξ\eta < \xi puts η\eta in γ\gamma and {ξ}=(η,ξ]\{\xi\} = (\eta,\xi] is open by step 2.1.

L5L6step 1.1step 2.1
4.1

Bγ\mathcal{B}_\gamma is a basis. Let UU be open and ξU\xi \in U; by [L2] and [L3] there is a set BB among γ\gamma, the open rays and the open intervals with ξBU\xi \in B \subseteq U. If B=γB = \gamma or B=γ<bB = \gamma_{<b}, then [0,ξ][0,\xi] contains ξ\xi and lies inside BB, since ηξ\eta \le \xi gives η<b\eta < b in the second case. If B=γ>aB = \gamma_{>a} or B=(a,b)B = (a,b), then a<ξa < \xi and (a,ξ](a,\xi] contains ξ\xi and lies inside BB. In each case a member of Bγ\mathcal{B}_\gamma sits between ξ\xi and UU, and its members are open by step 1.1 and step 2.1, so [L3] applies and claim 1 is proved.

L2L3step 1.1step 2.1step 3.1
5.1

Conversely let ξγ\xi \in \gamma be a limit ordinal. Were {ξ}\{\xi\} open, step 4.1 would supply BBγB \in \mathcal{B}_\gamma with ξB{ξ}\xi \in B \subseteq \{\xi\}, so B={ξ}B = \{\xi\}. If B=[0,β]B = [0,\beta] then β=ξ\beta = \xi and 0B0 \in B, forcing ξ=0\xi = 0, which no limit ordinal is. If B=(α,ξ]B = (\alpha,\xi] with α<ξ\alpha < \xi then α+ξ\alpha^{+} \le \xi by [L5], and α+ξ\alpha^{+} \ne \xi because ξ\xi is not a successor, so α<α+<ξ\alpha < \alpha^{+} < \xi puts α+\alpha^{+} in BB alongside ξ\xi. Both cases are impossible, so {ξ}\{\xi\} is not open and ξ\xi is not isolated by [L6]; with step 3.2 this is claim 2.

L5L6step 3.2step 4.1

Remarks

Why the half-open sets and not the open intervals. In an ordinal every point other than a limit is isolated, and the sets (α,β](\alpha,\beta] are the convenient basic sets that always stay clopen: an open interval (α,β)(\alpha,\beta) need not be closed, while (α,β](\alpha,\beta] always is, because its complement is again a union of sets of the two admissible forms. That every basic set is clopen is what makes an ordinal space totally disconnected in the naive sense and is used repeatedly in Every successor ordinal is compact in its order topology and every limit ordinal is not; and, assuming countable choice, ω1\omega_1 is countably compact and sequentially compact while ω1+1\omega_1 + 1 is compact.

The topology defined here is the general order topology and not a second notion. It is The order topology of a linearly ordered set, with the open rays as a subbasis; order-convex sets, order-density, the least upper bound property, and linear continua applied to the linearly ordered set γ\gamma, and claim 1 says only that the general basis of rays and intervals may be replaced by the more convenient Bγ\mathcal{B}_\gamma. A published item elsewhere in the library states the same topology on an ordinal directly, as def-order-topology-on-an-ordinal; it is named here in plain text because its page comes later in the reading order, and the agreement between the two descriptions is exactly claim 1.

The greatest-element case is not an edge case to be waved through. When γ\gamma is a successor δ+\delta^{+} its greatest element is δ\delta and [0,δ]=γ[0,\delta] = \gamma; step 1.1 treats that case explicitly, and it is the case that makes a successor ordinal compact (Every successor ordinal is compact in its order topology and every limit ordinal is not; and, assuming countable choice, ω1\omega_1 is countably compact and sequentially compact while ω1+1\omega_1 + 1 is compact).

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