How can I define uniform convergence in topological spaces, and also the concept of convergent series without talking about nets

general-topologypointwise-convergenceuniform-convergence

I have been in conflict with myself because of a confusion about the point convergence of sequences of functions and the uniform convergence over an arbitrary topological space. In metric spaces this concept is clear and can be defined in terms of $\epsilon$ and $\delta$. On the other hand, point convergence in topological spaces is stated in Munkres' book as follows:

A sequence $x_1, x_2, \ldots$ of points in a space $X$ converges to a point $x \in X$ if
for each neighborhood $U$ of $x$, $\exists N$ such that $\forall n \geqslant N$,
$x_n \in U$.

But how can I define uniform convergence in topological spaces,
and also the concept of convergent series without talking about nets?

I would greatly appreciate an answer on this topic.

Best Answer

Uniform convergence simply cannot be defined in a topological space, since it is not invariant under homeomorphisms. For instance, consider the sequence of functions $f_n:\mathbb{R}_+\to\mathbb{R}$ defined by $f_n(x)=\min(x,n)$. If you equip the codomain $\mathbb{R}$ with the standard metric, then $(f_n)$ converges pointwise but not uniformly to the function $f(x)=x$. However, if you instead equip $\mathbb{R}$ with a metric obtained by pulling back the standard metric on $(0,1)$ along a homeomorphism $\mathbb{R}\to(0,1)$, then $(f_n)$ does converge to $f$ uniformly. Roughly speaking, this is because the metric thinks that real numbers going out to $\infty$ are instead going to $1$, so they get closer and closer together.

This means that it is not meaningful to talk about uniform convergence of functions $X\to Y$ if $Y$ is merely a topological space. You need some additional structure on $Y$, such as a metric (or more generally, a uniformity).