Prove that this quotient space is normal

general-topologyquotient-spacesseparation-axioms

Consider the topological space $(\mathbb{R}^2,\tau _E)$, where $\tau _E$ is the Euclidean topology, and the subset $A=\mathbb{R} \times \{0\} \subset \mathbb{R}^2$. Then, if $X=\mathbb{R}^2 /A$ (the quotient space obtained collapsing $A$ to a point, given by the equivalence relation $x \sim y \Leftrightarrow x=y$ or $x,y \in A$), prove that $X$ is normal and is not first countable.

I tried to follow the idea of treating the cases separately: if $C$ is a closed set of $X$, then we have by definition that $\pi ^{-1}(C)$ is closed in $\mathbb{R}^2$ ($\pi: \mathbb{R}^2 \rightarrow X$ is the quotient projection), so we can treat separately the cases in which $[A] \in C$ and $[A] \notin C$ (in the second case the equivalence relation is trivial) and use the separation of $(\mathbb{R}^2, \tau _E)$. For the first countable part the only thing that came to my mind was to search a set in $X$ that is sequentially closed but not closed.

Best Answer

It is easier to show that it is not first countable from definition, I think.

Assume that $N_1, N_2,\ldots$ is a countable neighbourhood basis of $A$ as a point of $X/A$. We will construct a neighbourhood $U$ of $A$ that doesn't contain any of $N_i$.

First take $M_i=\pi^{-1}(N_i)$. Now for any $n\in\mathbb{N}$ pick $x_n>0$ such that $(n,x_n)\in M_n$. Such $x_n$ exists since the last set is an open neighbourhood of $A$.

We construct $V$ by connecting $(n,x_n)$ points piecewise linearly and taking area under it. Then $U:=\pi(V)$ is an open neighborhood of $A$ but no $N_i$ is contained in it. Because otherwise that would mean that $M_i$ is contained in $V$ which fails for $(i,x_i)$ point.

Related Question