[Math] discrete metric, both open and closed.

general-topologymetric-spaces

I've checked several answers though, still don't understand last bit.

Taking radius r = 1/2 then every subset is singleton and it is open.

But then how do you deduce it is also closed?

Well, a subset is closed if its complement is open… but then 'every' subset is open hence its complement is empty then closed as empty is both open and closed….??

Thanks.

ps. I haven't learnt about topology space, only metric space.

Best Answer

Note that if every subset is open, then every subset is closed: Given $A \subset X$, then the complement $A^c = X \setminus A$ is a subset, therefore open, and $A^c$ open is equivalent to $A$ is closed.

If you want to be concrete, you can view the complement of a single point as the union of the balls of radius $1/2$ centered on $y$, as $y$ ranges across every point other than $x$. This union is evidently the complement of $\{x\}$.

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