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TheoremStatement: AI-adaptedProof: AI-adaptedSession-authored (Fable 5 assisted)precheck passjudge pass (z-ai/glm-5.2)verified 2026-07-29 (claude-fable-5)
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In a Hausdorff space a point and a disjoint compact set, and two disjoint compact sets, have disjoint open neighbourhoods; hence every compact subset is closed, and in a compact Hausdorff space the compact subsets are exactly the closed ones

Statement

Let (X,T)(X, \mathcal{T}) be a Hausdorff topological space (Hausdorff space: distinct points have disjoint open neighbourhoods; every metrizable space is Hausdorff and the indiscrete topology on two points is not, Topology on a set, open and closed sets, clopen sets, the closed-set axiomatisation, and the coarser/finer comparison), with compact subsets as in Open cover, subcover, and compact topological space; a compact subset is a subspace that is compact in its own right. Then:

  1. A point and a disjoint compact set are separated. If KXK \subseteq X is compact and xXKx \in X \setminus K, there are U,VTU, V \in \mathcal{T} with xU,KV,UV=.x \in U, \qquad K \subseteq V, \qquad U \cap V = \varnothing .
  2. Two disjoint compact sets are separated. If K,LXK, L \subseteq X are compact and KL=K \cap L = \varnothing, there are U,VTU, V \in \mathcal{T} with LU,KV,UV=.L \subseteq U, \qquad K \subseteq V, \qquad U \cap V = \varnothing .
  3. Compact implies closed. Every compact subset of XX is closed in XX.
  4. In a compact Hausdorff space the two classes coincide. If in addition (X,T)(X, \mathcal{T}) is compact, then a subset of XX is compact if and only if it is closed.

The proof is written choice-free, and that is not a stylistic preference. The textbook argument says "for each yKy \in K choose disjoint open Uy,VyU_y, V_y", which is a selection over an arbitrary index set and therefore an appeal to the full Axiom of Choice. What is done below instead is to take the family of all open VV that admit some open UxU \ni x disjoint from them — a family cut out by a formula, with nothing selected — extract a finite subcover from it, and only then make finitely many selections, which Every natural-number-indexed list of nonempty sets has a choice function on its family of values supplies as a theorem of ZF.

Facts & Assumptions

Given: A Hausdorff topological space (X,T)(X, \mathcal{T}).

[A1]

For all x,yXx, y \in X with xyx \ne y there are U,VTU, V \in \mathcal{T} with xUx \in U, yVy \in V and UV=U \cap V = \varnothing (Hausdorff space: distinct points have disjoint open neighbourhoods; every metrizable space is Hausdorff and the indiscrete topology on two points is not).

[L1]

\varnothing and XX are open, an arbitrary union of open sets is open, the intersection of finitely many open sets is open when at least one is taken, and a subset 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).

[L2]

A subset AXA \subseteq X is a compact subset of XX exactly when for every family U\mathcal{U} of open subsets of XX with AUA \subseteq \bigcup \mathcal{U} there are nNn \in \mathbb{N} and U0,,UnUU_0, \dots, U_n \in \mathcal{U} with AU0UnA \subseteq U_0 \cup \dots \cup U_n, or else A=A = \varnothing (A subspace is compact exactly when every family of open subsets of the ambient space covering it, indexed or not, has finitely many members covering it, claim 1; Open cover, subcover, and compact topological space; a compact subset is a subspace that is compact in its own right, Subspace topology: the traces of the open sets, its closed sets and its bases, the continuity of the inclusion, and the characteristic property of a map into a subspace).

[L3]

A function with domain a natural number all of whose values are nonempty sets has a choice function, and this is a theorem of ZF (Every natural-number-indexed list of nonempty sets has a choice function on its family of values).

[L4]

A closed subset of a compact space is a compact subset of it (A closed subspace of a compact space is compact, and a finite union of compact subspaces is compact, claim 1).

Proof

technique · direct
1.1

For claim 1 fix a compact KXK \subseteq X and a point xXKx \in X \setminus K, and put V:={VT:UV= for some UT with xU}\mathcal{V} := \{\, V \in \mathcal{T} : U \cap V = \varnothing \text{ for some } U \in \mathcal{T} \text{ with } x \in U \,\}, a family cut out by a property of VV alone and not by any selection.

construct
2.1

KVK \subseteq \bigcup \mathcal{V}: given yKy \in K we have yxy \ne x, since xKx \notin K, so [A1] provides U,VTU, V \in \mathcal{T} with xUx \in U, yVy \in V and UV=U \cap V = \varnothing; that VV belongs to V\mathcal{V} and contains yy.

A1step 1.1
3.1

If K=K = \varnothing then U:=XU := X and V:=V := \varnothing satisfy claim 1; otherwise [L2] applied to the family V\mathcal{V} gives nNn \in \mathbb{N} and V0,,VnVV_0, \dots, V_n \in \mathcal{V} with KV0VnK \subseteq V_0 \cup \dots \cup V_n.

L1L2step 1.1step 2.1
4.1

For each jnj \le n the set Sj:={UT:xU and UVj=}S_j := \{\, U \in \mathcal{T} : x \in U \text{ and } U \cap V_j = \varnothing \,\} is nonempty, because VjVV_j \in \mathcal{V}; and jSjj \mapsto S_j is a function with domain the natural number σ(n)\sigma(n), so a choice function for its values supplies U0,,UnTU_0, \dots, U_n \in \mathcal{T} with xUjx \in U_j and UjVj=U_j \cap V_j = \varnothing for every jnj \le n.

L3step 3.1
5.1

Put U:=U0UnU := U_0 \cap \dots \cap U_n and V:=V0VnV := V_0 \cup \dots \cup V_n; both are open by [L1], xUx \in U because xUjx \in U_j for every jj, KVK \subseteq V by step 3.1, and UV=U \cap V = \varnothing because a point of UVU \cap V would lie in some VjV_j and in UUjU \subseteq U_j, contradicting UjVj=U_j \cap V_j = \varnothing. So claim 1 holds.

L1step 3.1step 4.1
6.1

For claim 3 let KXK \subseteq X be compact and put G:={WT:WK=}G := \bigcup \{\, W \in \mathcal{T} : W \cap K = \varnothing \,\}, which is open by [L1]. Every member of the union misses KK, so GXKG \subseteq X \setminus K; conversely for xXKx \in X \setminus K claim 1, proved at step 5.1, gives disjoint open UxU \ni x and VKV \supseteq K, whence UK=U \cap K = \varnothing and xUGx \in U \subseteq G. So G=XKG = X \setminus K is open, KK is closed, and claim 3 holds.

L1step 5.1
6.2

For claim 2 let K,LXK, L \subseteq X be compact with KL=K \cap L = \varnothing, and put W:={WT:VW= for some VT with KV}\mathcal{W} := \{\, W \in \mathcal{T} : V \cap W = \varnothing \text{ for some } V \in \mathcal{T} \text{ with } K \subseteq V \,\}, again cut out by a property. Then LWL \subseteq \bigcup \mathcal{W}: for yLy \in L we have yKy \notin K, so claim 1, proved at step 5.1, gives disjoint open UyU \ni y and VKV \supseteq K, and that UU lies in W\mathcal{W} and contains yy.

step 5.1construct
7.1

If L=L = \varnothing then U:=U := \varnothing and V:=XV := X satisfy claim 2; otherwise [L2] applied to W\mathcal{W} gives mNm \in \mathbb{N} and W0,,WmWW_0, \dots, W_m \in \mathcal{W} with LW0WmL \subseteq W_0 \cup \dots \cup W_m.

L1L2step 6.2
8.1

For each jmj \le m the set Tj:={VT:KV and VWj=}T_j := \{\, V \in \mathcal{T} : K \subseteq V \text{ and } V \cap W_j = \varnothing \,\} is nonempty, because WjWW_j \in \mathcal{W}; and jTjj \mapsto T_j is a function with domain the natural number σ(m)\sigma(m), so a choice function for its values supplies V0,,VmTV_0, \dots, V_m \in \mathcal{T} with KVjK \subseteq V_j and VjWj=V_j \cap W_j = \varnothing for every jmj \le m.

L3step 7.1
9.1

Put U:=W0WmU := W_0 \cup \dots \cup W_m and V:=V0VmV := V_0 \cap \dots \cap V_m; both are open by [L1], LUL \subseteq U by step 7.1, KVK \subseteq V because KVjK \subseteq V_j for every jj, and UV=U \cap V = \varnothing because a point of UVU \cap V would lie in some WjW_j and in VVjV \subseteq V_j, contradicting VjWj=V_j \cap W_j = \varnothing. So claim 2 holds.

L1step 7.1step 8.1
10.1

For claim 4 assume (X,T)(X, \mathcal{T}) is also compact: a compact subset of XX is closed by step 6.1, and a closed subset of XX is compact by [L4], so the two classes of subsets coincide; with claims 1, 2 and 3 settled at steps 5.1, 9.1 and 6.1 the theorem is proved.

L4step 6.1step 9.1

Remarks

Where each hypothesis is spent. The Hausdorff condition is used exactly once, at step 2.1, to know that the family V\mathcal{V} covers KK; compactness of KK is used exactly once, at step 3.1, to cut that cover down to finitely many members. Claim 2 then reuses claim 1 in the same shape, with the roles of point and compact set played by a point of LL and the compact set KK.

Why the family is defined and not chosen. For each yKy \in K the Hausdorff condition asserts that some pair (U,V)(U, V) exists; it provides no rule for naming one. A proof that writes UyU_y and VyV_y has selected a pair for every yKy \in K at once, and for an arbitrary compact KK that is the Axiom of Choice. Collecting instead every VV that works for some UU replaces the selection by a formula, and the only selection left is over the finite index set σ(n)\sigma(n), where Every natural-number-indexed list of nonempty sets has a choice function on its family of values applies.

Claim 3 fails without the Hausdorff hypothesis, and FALSE: a compact subset of a topological space is closed records the failure with a witness. Claim 4 is the converse pairing: closedness is enough for compactness only when the ambient space is compact (A closed subspace of a compact space is compact, and a finite union of compact subspaces is compact), and compactness is enough for closedness only when it is Hausdorff.

Depends on

Used by

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