General Topology – Compact but Not Sequentially Compact

analysisaxiom-of-choicegeneral-topology

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you can find an example of a compact but not sequentially compact space. My question is: how to prove the existence of "$r \in I$ such that its binary expansion has its $k$-th digit $0$ iff $k$ is odd, and $1$ otherwise"? intuitively it is clear, but in practice do we need AC (or, at least, the countable AC)?

Best Answer

The existence of the real number $r\in[0,1]=I$ such that its binary expansion has $k$th digit $0$ if $k$ is odd and $1$ if $k$ is even does not depend on the Axiom of Choice in any way whatsoever. This is nothing more than the number $$r = \sum_{i=0}^{\infty}\frac{1}{2^{2i+1}},$$ which is a convergent series of real numbers, being a series of positive terms that is bounded above by $$\sum_{i=1}^{\infty}\frac{1}{2^i} = 1.$$

Where exactly do you believe that this requires the Axiom of Choice? If your real numbers are defined as equivalence classes of Cauchy sequences, then $r$ is the equivalence class of the sequence of its partial sums, which can be defined using induction/recursion theorem. If your real numbers are defined as Dedekind cuts, then $r$ is the cut determined by the union of the cuts determined by the partial sums, which again can be defined using recursion/induction.

(P.S: $$\begin{align*} r &= \sum_{i=0}^{\infty}\frac{1}{2^{2i+1}} = \frac{1}{2}\sum_{i=0}^{\infty}\frac{1}{2^{2i}}\\ &= \frac{1}{2}\sum_{i=0}^{\infty}\left(\frac{1}{4}\right)^i\\ &=\frac{1}{2}\left(\frac{1}{1-\frac{1}{4}}\right)\\ &= \frac{1}{2}\left(\frac{4}{3}\right)\\ &=\frac{2}{3}. \end{align*}$$ and, luckily, $\frac{2}{3}$ exists, even without the Axiom of Choice...)