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TheoremStatement: AI-adaptedProof: AI-adaptedprecheck passjudge pass (z-ai/glm-5.2)audited 2026-07-27
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The Cantor function is well defined, satisfies c(x)≤c(y) whenever x≤y, is surjective onto [0,1], and is constant on every interval removed from the Cantor set

Statement

Let C be the Cantor set, γ:C→[0,1] and c:[0,1]→R as in The Cantor function on [0,1], defined on the Cantor set through ternary digits and extended constantly across each removed interval. Then:

  1. c is well defined with values in [0,1], and c(t)=γ(t) for every t∈C, so c extends γ;
  2. c(x)≤c(y) whenever 0≤x≤y≤1;
  3. c is surjective onto [0,1] (Injection, surjection, bijection), and c(0)=0, c(1)=1;
  4. c is constant on [u,v] whenever u<v, u,v∈C and (u,v)∩C=∅; and every x∈[0,1]∖C lies in the open interval of such a pair, so c is constant on a whole neighbourhood of every point of [0,1] outside C.

Claim 2 is what "monotone" names for a function; that word is not used here, because Nondecreasing, increasing, nonincreasing, decreasing, monotone, and eventually monotone sequences is about sequences and no definition of a monotone function is available at this point in the reading order. Claim 4 is what "constant on every interval removed in the construction" means: the removed intervals are gaps of C in the sense of claim 4, as (13,23) illustrates. No claim whatever is made here about continuity, for which no definition is available at this point in the reading order.

Facts & Assumptions

Given: The Cantor set C, the set D of {0,2}-valued sequences, the bijection Φ:D→C, and the functions γ and c of The Cantor function on [0,1], defined on the Cantor set through ternary digits and extended constantly across each removed interval. For x∈C write Φ−1(x) for its digit sequence.

[L1]

Φ(a)=∑k≥0ak3−k−1 is a bijection from D onto C, with two-sided inverse Φ−1; γ(x)=∑k≥0(ak2−1)2−k−1 for a=Φ−1(x), with values in [0,1]; c(x)=sup⁡{γ(t):t∈C, t≤x}, the supremum of a nonempty set bounded above by 1 and containing γ(0) (The Cantor set is exactly the set of ∑k≥1ak3−k with every ak∈{0,2}, and this gives a bijection with {0,1}N, The Cantor function on [0,1], defined on the Cantor set through ternary digits and extended constantly across each removed interval, Injection, surjection, bijection, Complete ordered field (least-upper-bound property), Lower bound, bounded below, bounded set, Suprema and infima are unique).

[L2]

∑k=0∞rk=1/(1−r) for ∣r∣<1, so ∑k≥m2−k−1=2−m and ∑k≥m2⋅3−k−1=3−m; convergent series add and scale termwise; finite sums preserve termwise inequalities and split at each finite index; a nonnegative series whose partial sums are bounded above converges to their supremum, so if all its partial sums lie in [0,M], its sum lies in [0,M] (Laws of finite sums and finite products, For ∣r∣<1, ∑k≥0rk=1/(1−r), and for ∣r∣≥1 the series diverges, Convergent series add and scale termwise, A series of nonnegative terms converges iff its partial sums are bounded, and then the sum is their supremum, Series, partial sums, convergence and the sum, divergence, and the tail series, Integer powers am, Laws of integer exponents).

[L4]

Suprema: u=sup⁡S exactly when u is an upper bound and for every ε>0 some s∈S has u−ε<s; infima exist for nonempty sets bounded below, and ℓ=inf⁡S exactly when ℓ is a lower bound and for every ε>0 some s∈S has s<ℓ+ε; both are unique; a supremum is monotone in the set, since an upper bound of a larger set bounds a smaller one (Epsilon characterisation of the supremum, Epsilon characterisation of the infimum, Every nonempty set bounded below has an infimum, Greatest lower bound (infimum), Suprema and infima are unique, Complete ordered field (least-upper-bound property), Lower bound, bounded below, bounded set).

[L5]

Recursion and induction on N; every nonempty subset of N has a least element (The recursion theorem, The principle of mathematical induction, The well-ordering principle).

[L8]

[u,v] and (u,v) are the intervals of Intervals of R: the nine order-convex forms, nondegeneracy, and length, and Nε(x)=(x−ε,x+ε) (The ε-neighbourhood and the punctured ε-neighbourhood of a point of R).

[L9]

Ordered-field arithmetic: 0<1, so 2>0, 3>0 and 2−1>0; adding a constant and multiplying by a positive preserve an inequality; the order is total and transitive (The multiplicative identity is positive, Order is preserved by adding a constant and by adding inequalities, Sign rules for products and monotonicity of multiplication, Ordered field, Complete ordered field (least-upper-bound property)). These order-arithmetic facts are stated by their sources for the strict order only; the nonstrict forms used below follow by adjoining the equality case, in which the two sides coincide.

Proof

technique · direct
1.1givenL1L2L5L9

Comparison of two digit sequences. Let a≠b in D and let k be the least index with ak≠bk, which exists by [L5]; suppose ak=0 and bk=2. For each d∈{a,b} consider its nonnegative ternary tail Ad:=∑j≥k+1dj3−j−1. Each finite partial sum lies between 0 and the corresponding partial sum of ∑j≥k+12⋅3−j−1 by finite-sum comparison in [L2], since 0≤dj≤2. The latter partial sums are at most the geometric sum M:=3−k−1. Thus the nonnegative-series supremum criterion in [L2] gives convergence and 0≤Aa,Ab≤M. Splitting off the common finite prefix and the kth term, then using series linearity in [L2], gives Φ(b)−Φ(a)=2⋅3−k−1+Ab−Aa≥2M−M=M>0. This bounds the two nonnegative tails separately before taking their difference; it does not invoke an absolute-comparison theorem for a signed series. For the binary images, put Bd:=∑j≥k+1(dj2−1)2−j−1. Each coefficient dj2−1 is 0 or 1, so the same finite-partial-sum and supremum argument, now using ∑j≥k+12−j−1=H:=2−k−1, gives convergence and 0≤Ba,Bb≤H. Prefix splitting and linearity therefore give γ(Φ(b))−γ(Φ(a))=2−k−1+Bb−Ba≥H−H=0. Consequently, for s,t∈C with s≤t one has γ(s)≤γ(t): this is trivial if s=t, and otherwise the least differing index must have the digit of t equal to 2, since the opposite ordering of those two digits would give s>t by the ternary comparison just proved.

1.2L1L2L3

Values at the endpoints. The constant sequence 0ˉ has Φ(0ˉ)=0 and γ(0)=0; the constant sequence 2ˉ has Φ(2ˉ)=∑k≥02⋅3−k−1=1 and γ(1)=∑k≥02−k−1=1, by [L2]. Both 0 and 1 lie in C by [L3].

2.1step 1.1step 1.2L1L4

Claims 1 and 2. For x∈[0,1] the set Ax:={γ(t):t∈C, t≤x} is nonempty and bounded above by 1 by [L1], so c(x)=sup⁡Ax exists, is unique and lies in [0,1] by [L1] and [L4]; that is claim 1 apart from the extension property. If 0≤x≤y≤1 then Ax⊆Ay, so c(x)≤c(y) by [L4], which is claim 2. And for t∈C: γ(t)∈At, while γ(t) is an upper bound of At by step 1.1, so γ(t)=sup⁡At=c(t) by [L4].

2.2step 1.1L1L2L9

The two endpoints of a gap carry the same value of γ. Let u<v with u,v∈C and (u,v)∩C=∅, and put a:=Φ−1(u), b:=Φ−1(v), with k the least index where they differ; by step 1.1 and u<v we have ak=0 and bk=2. If some j>k had aj=0, let a′ agree with a except that aj′=2; then Φ(a′)∈C, Φ(a′)>u by step 1.1, and a′ still differs from b first at k with ak′=0<2=bk, so Φ(a′)<v by step 1.1, putting Φ(a′) in (u,v)∩C, which is empty. Hence aj=2 for every j>k. Symmetrically, if some j>k had bj=2, replacing it by 0 gives b′ with Φ(b′)<v and Φ(b′)>u, again impossible; hence bj=0 for every j>k. Writing P:=∑j<k(aj2−1)2−j−1=∑j<k(bj2−1)2−j−1, [L2] now gives γ(u)=P+0+∑j≥k+12−j−1=P+2−k−1 and γ(v)=P+2−k−1+0=P+2−k−1, so γ(u)=γ(v).

3.1step 1.1step 2.1step 2.2L4L9

Claim 4, first half. Let u<v with u,v∈C and (u,v)∩C=∅, and let x∈[u,v]. Every t∈C with t≤x satisfies t≤u or t=v: indeed if t>u then t≤x≤v and t∉(u,v) force t=v. In the first case γ(t)≤γ(u) by step 1.1, and in the second γ(t)=γ(v)=γ(u) by step 2.2. So γ(u) is an upper bound of Ax and belongs to it, whence c(x)=γ(u) by [L4]: c is constant on [u,v], with the value c(u) given by step 2.1.

3.2step 1.2step 2.1L1L2L5L6L9

Claim 3. Let s∈[0,1]. Let T:R→R be T(r):=2r for r<2−1 and T(r):=2r−1 for r≥2−1, a definition by cases on the total order, and by [L5] let (rn) satisfy r0=s and rn+1=T(rn); put βn:=0 when rn<2−1 and βn:=1 otherwise, so rn+1=2rn−βn. An induction ([L5]) gives rn∈[0,1] for every n, since 0≤r<2−1 gives 0≤2r<1 and 2−1≤r≤1 gives 0≤2r−1≤1 by [L9]; a second induction gives s=∑k<nβk2−k−1+2−nrn for every n, the step being ∑k<n+1βk2−k−1+2−n−1rn+1=∑k<nβk2−k−1+βn2−n−1+2−n−1(2rn−βn)=∑k<nβk2−k−1+2−nrn. Hence 0≤s−∑k<nβk2−k−1≤2−n, so by [L6] the partial sums converge to s and s=∑k≥0βk2−k−1. Now a:=(2βk)k lies in D, the point x:=Φ(a) lies in C by [L1], and γ(x)=∑kβk2−k−1=s; by step 2.1, c(x)=γ(x)=s. With step 1.2 and step 2.1 this also gives c(0)=γ(0)=0 and c(1)=γ(1)=1.

4.1step 3.1L3L4L7L8L9

Claim 4, second half. Let x∈[0,1]∖C. The set A:={t∈C:t≤x} is nonempty by [L3] and bounded above by x, so u:=sup⁡A exists by [L4]; by [L4] every Nε(u) meets A⊆C, so u∈C‾=C by [L3], and u≤x with u≠x, so u<x. The set B:={t∈C:t≥x} is nonempty by [L3], since 1∈C and x≤1, and is bounded below by x, so v:=inf⁡B exists by [L4]; likewise v∈C and v>x. If t∈C satisfied u<t<v, then t≤x would put t∈A and force t≤u, while t≥x would put t∈B and force t≥v, and one of the two holds by totality of the order ([L9]); so (u,v)∩C=∅. By step 3.1 the function c is constant on [u,v], and Nδ(x)⊆(u,v) for δ:=min⁡{x−u, v−x}>0 by [L7], [L8] and [L9].

5.1step 2.1step 3.1step 3.2step 4.1∎

Claims 1 and 2 are step 2.1, claim 3 is step 3.2, and claim 4 is steps 3.1 and 4.1 together; so all four hold.

Remarks

Depends on

Dependency tree · 2 levels

Sources