In
mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
, general topology is the branch of
topology
In mathematics, topology (from the Greek words , and ) is concerned with the properties of a geometric object that are preserved under continuous deformations, such as stretching, twisting, crumpling, and bending; that is, without closing ...
that deals with the basic
set-theoretic definitions and constructions used in topology. It is the foundation of most other branches of topology, including
differential topology
In mathematics, differential topology is the field dealing with the topological properties and smooth properties of smooth manifolds. In this sense differential topology is distinct from the closely related field of differential geometry, which ...
,
geometric topology
In mathematics, geometric topology is the study of manifolds and maps between them, particularly embeddings of one manifold into another.
History
Geometric topology as an area distinct from algebraic topology may be said to have originate ...
, and
algebraic topology
Algebraic topology is a branch of mathematics that uses tools from abstract algebra to study topological spaces. The basic goal is to find algebraic invariants that classify topological spaces up to homeomorphism, though usually most classify ...
. Another name for general topology is point-set topology.
The fundamental concepts in point-set topology are ''continuity'', ''compactness'', and ''connectedness'':
*
Continuous function
In mathematics, a continuous function is a function such that a continuous variation (that is a change without jump) of the argument induces a continuous variation of the value of the function. This means that there are no abrupt changes in val ...
s, intuitively, take nearby points to nearby points.
*
Compact sets are those that can be covered by finitely many sets of arbitrarily small size.
*
Connected set
In topology and related branches of mathematics, a connected space is a topological space that cannot be represented as the union of two or more disjoint non-empty open subsets. Connectedness is one of the principal topological properties ...
s are sets that cannot be divided into two pieces that are far apart.
The terms 'nearby', 'arbitrarily small', and 'far apart' can all be made precise by using the concept of
open set
In mathematics, open sets are a generalization of open intervals in the real line.
In a metric space (a set along with a distance defined between any two points), open sets are the sets that, with every point , contain all points that are su ...
s. If we change the definition of 'open set', we change what continuous functions, compact sets, and connected sets are. Each choice of definition for 'open set' is called a ''topology''. A set with a topology is called a ''
topological space
In mathematics, a topological space is, roughly speaking, a geometrical space in which closeness is defined but cannot necessarily be measured by a numeric distance. More specifically, a topological space is a set whose elements are called poin ...
''.
''
Metric space
In mathematics, a metric space is a set together with a notion of '' distance'' between its elements, usually called points. The distance is measured by a function called a metric or distance function. Metric spaces are the most general setti ...
s'' are an important class of topological spaces where a real, non-negative distance, also called a ''
metric
Metric or metrical may refer to:
* Metric system, an internationally adopted decimal system of measurement
* An adjective indicating relation to measurement in general, or a noun describing a specific type of measurement
Mathematics
In mathe ...
'', can be defined on pairs of points in the set. Having a metric simplifies many proofs, and many of the most common topological spaces are metric spaces.
History
General topology grew out of a number of areas, most importantly the following:
*the detailed study of subsets of the
real line
In elementary mathematics, a number line is a picture of a graduated straight line that serves as visual representation of the real numbers. Every point of a number line is assumed to correspond to a real number, and every real number to a po ...
(once known as the ''topology of point sets''; this usage is now obsolete)
*the introduction of the
manifold
In mathematics, a manifold is a topological space that locally resembles Euclidean space near each point. More precisely, an n-dimensional manifold, or ''n-manifold'' for short, is a topological space with the property that each point has a n ...
concept
*the study of
metric space
In mathematics, a metric space is a set together with a notion of '' distance'' between its elements, usually called points. The distance is measured by a function called a metric or distance function. Metric spaces are the most general setti ...
s, especially
normed linear spaces, in the early days of
functional analysis
Functional analysis is a branch of mathematical analysis, the core of which is formed by the study of vector spaces endowed with some kind of limit-related structure (e.g. inner product, norm, topology, etc.) and the linear functions defi ...
.
General topology assumed its present form around 1940. It captures, one might say, almost everything in the intuition of
continuity, in a technically adequate form that can be applied in any area of mathematics.
A topology on a set
Let ''X'' be a set and let ''τ'' be a
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
of
subset
In mathematics, set ''A'' is a subset of a set ''B'' if all elements of ''A'' are also elements of ''B''; ''B'' is then a superset of ''A''. It is possible for ''A'' and ''B'' to be equal; if they are unequal, then ''A'' is a proper subset of ...
s of ''X''. Then ''τ'' is called a ''topology on X'' if:
# Both the
empty set
In mathematics, the empty set is the unique set having no elements; its size or cardinality (count of elements in a set) is zero. Some axiomatic set theories ensure that the empty set exists by including an axiom of empty set, while in othe ...
and ''X'' are elements of ''τ''
# Any
union of elements of ''τ'' is an element of ''τ''
# Any
intersection
In mathematics, the intersection of two or more objects is another object consisting of everything that is contained in all of the objects simultaneously. For example, in Euclidean geometry, when two lines in a plane are not parallel, thei ...
of finitely many elements of ''τ'' is an element of ''τ''
If ''τ'' is a topology on ''X'', then the pair (''X'', ''τ'') is called a ''topological space''. The notation ''X
τ'' may be used to denote a set ''X'' endowed with the particular topology ''τ''.
The members of ''τ'' are called ''
open set
In mathematics, open sets are a generalization of open intervals in the real line.
In a metric space (a set along with a distance defined between any two points), open sets are the sets that, with every point , contain all points that are su ...
s'' in ''X''. A subset of ''X'' is said to be
closed
Closed may refer to:
Mathematics
* Closure (mathematics), a set, along with operations, for which applying those operations on members always results in a member of the set
* Closed set, a set which contains all its limit points
* Closed interval, ...
if its
complement is in ''τ'' (i.e., its complement is open). A subset of ''X'' may be open, closed, both (
clopen set), or neither. The empty set and ''X'' itself are always both closed and open.
Basis for a topology
A base (or basis) ''B'' for a
topological space
In mathematics, a topological space is, roughly speaking, a geometrical space in which closeness is defined but cannot necessarily be measured by a numeric distance. More specifically, a topological space is a set whose elements are called poin ...
''X'' with
topology
In mathematics, topology (from the Greek words , and ) is concerned with the properties of a geometric object that are preserved under continuous deformations, such as stretching, twisting, crumpling, and bending; that is, without closing ...
''T'' is a collection of
open set
In mathematics, open sets are a generalization of open intervals in the real line.
In a metric space (a set along with a distance defined between any two points), open sets are the sets that, with every point , contain all points that are su ...
s in ''T'' such that every open set in ''T'' can be written as a union of elements of ''B''. We say that the base ''generates'' the topology ''T''. Bases are useful because many properties of topologies can be reduced to statements about a base that generates that topology—and because many topologies are most easily defined in terms of a base that generates them.
Subspace and quotient
Every subset of a topological space can be given the
subspace topology in which the open sets are the intersections of the open sets of the larger space with the subset. For any
indexed family of topological spaces, the product can be given the
product topology
In topology and related areas of mathematics, a product space is the Cartesian product of a family of topological spaces equipped with a natural topology called the product topology. This topology differs from another, perhaps more natural-seem ...
, which is generated by the inverse images of open sets of the factors under the
projection mappings. For example, in finite products, a basis for the product topology consists of all products of open sets. For infinite products, there is the additional requirement that in a basic open set, all but finitely many of its projections are the entire space.
A
quotient space is defined as follows: if ''X'' is a topological space and ''Y'' is a set, and if ''f'' : ''X''→ ''Y'' is a
surjective
In mathematics, a surjective function (also known as surjection, or onto function) is a function that every element can be mapped from element so that . In other words, every element of the function's codomain is the image of one element o ...
function, then the
quotient topology on ''Y'' is the collection of subsets of ''Y'' that have open
inverse images under ''f''. In other words, the quotient topology is the finest topology on ''Y'' for which ''f'' is continuous. A common example of a quotient topology is when an
equivalence relation
In mathematics, an equivalence relation is a binary relation that is reflexive, symmetric and transitive. The equipollence relation between line segments in geometry is a common example of an equivalence relation.
Each equivalence relatio ...
is defined on the topological space ''X''. The map ''f'' is then the natural projection onto the set of
equivalence class
In mathematics, when the elements of some set S have a notion of equivalence (formalized as an equivalence relation), then one may naturally split the set S into equivalence classes. These equivalence classes are constructed so that elements a ...
es.
Examples of topological spaces
A given set may have many different topologies. If a set is given a different topology, it is viewed as a different topological space.
Discrete and trivial topologies
Any set can be given the
discrete topology, in which every subset is open. The only convergent sequences or nets in this topology are those that are eventually constant. Also, any set can be given the
trivial topology (also called the indiscrete topology), in which only the empty set and the whole space are open. Every sequence and net in this topology converges to every point of the space. This example shows that in general topological spaces, limits of sequences need not be unique. However, often topological spaces must be
Hausdorff space
In topology and related branches of mathematics, a Hausdorff space ( , ), separated space or T2 space is a topological space where, for any two distinct points, there exist neighbourhoods of each which are disjoint from each other. Of the ma ...
s where limit points are unique.
Cofinite and cocountable topologies
Any set can be given the
cofinite topology in which the open sets are the empty set and the sets whose complement is finite. This is the smallest
T1 topology on any infinite set.
Any set can be given the
cocountable topology, in which a set is defined as open if it is either empty or its complement is countable. When the set is uncountable, this topology serves as a counterexample in many situations.
Topologies on the real and complex numbers
There are many ways to define a topology on R, the set of
real number
In mathematics, a real number is a number that can be used to measure a ''continuous'' one-dimensional quantity such as a distance, duration or temperature. Here, ''continuous'' means that values can have arbitrarily small variations. Every ...
s. The standard topology on R is generated by the
open intervals. The set of all open intervals forms a
base or basis for the topology, meaning that every open set is a union of some collection of sets from the base. In particular, this means that a set is open if there exists an open interval of non zero radius about every point in the set. More generally, the
Euclidean space
Euclidean space is the fundamental space of geometry, intended to represent physical space. Originally, that is, in Euclid's ''Elements'', it was the three-dimensional space of Euclidean geometry, but in modern mathematics there are Euclidea ...
s R
''n'' can be given a topology. In the usual topology on R
''n'' the basic open sets are the open
ball
A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...
s. Similarly, C, the set of
complex number
In mathematics, a complex number is an element of a number system that extends the real numbers with a specific element denoted , called the imaginary unit and satisfying the equation i^= -1; every complex number can be expressed in the fo ...
s, and C
''n'' have a standard topology in which the basic open sets are open balls.
The real line can also be given the
lower limit topology. Here, the basic open sets are the half open intervals
[''a'', ''b''). This topology on R is strictly finer than the Euclidean topology defined above; a sequence converges to a point in this topology if and only if it converges from above in the Euclidean topology. This example shows that a set may have many distinct topologies defined on it.
The metric topology
Every
metric space
In mathematics, a metric space is a set together with a notion of '' distance'' between its elements, usually called points. The distance is measured by a function called a metric or distance function. Metric spaces are the most general setti ...
can be given a metric topology, in which the basic open sets are open balls defined by the metric. This is the standard topology on any normed vector space. On a finite-dimensional vector space this topology is the same for all norms.
Further examples
* There exist numerous topologies on any given finite set. Such spaces are called
finite topological space
In mathematics, a finite topological space is a topological space for which the underlying point set is finite. That is, it is a topological space which has only finitely many elements.
Finite topological spaces are often used to provide example ...
s. Finite spaces are sometimes used to provide examples or counterexamples to conjectures about topological spaces in general.
* Every
manifold
In mathematics, a manifold is a topological space that locally resembles Euclidean space near each point. More precisely, an n-dimensional manifold, or ''n-manifold'' for short, is a topological space with the property that each point has a n ...
has a
natural topology, since it is locally Euclidean. Similarly, every
simplex
In geometry, a simplex (plural: simplexes or simplices) is a generalization of the notion of a triangle or tetrahedron to arbitrary dimensions. The simplex is so-named because it represents the simplest possible polytope in any given dimension. ...
and every
simplicial complex
In mathematics, a simplicial complex is a set composed of points, line segments, triangles, and their ''n''-dimensional counterparts (see illustration). Simplicial complexes should not be confused with the more abstract notion of a simplicial ...
inherits a natural topology from R
n.
* The
Zariski topology is defined algebraically on the
spectrum of a ring
In commutative algebra, the prime spectrum (or simply the spectrum) of a ring ''R'' is the set of all prime ideals of ''R'', and is usually denoted by \operatorname; in algebraic geometry it is simultaneously a topological space equipped with the ...
or an
algebraic variety
Algebraic varieties are the central objects of study in algebraic geometry, a sub-field of mathematics. Classically, an algebraic variety is defined as the set of solutions of a system of polynomial equations over the real or complex numbers. ...
. On R
''n'' or C
''n'', the closed sets of the Zariski topology are the
solution set
In mathematics, a solution set is the set of values that satisfy a given set of equations or inequalities.
For example, for a set of polynomials over a ring ,
the solution set is the subset of on which the polynomials all vanish (evaluate t ...
s of systems of
polynomial
In mathematics, a polynomial is an expression consisting of indeterminates (also called variables) and coefficients, that involves only the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and positive-integer powers of variables. An exampl ...
equations.
* A
linear graph
In the mathematical field of graph theory, a path graph or linear graph is a graph whose vertices can be listed in the order such that the edges are where . Equivalently, a path with at least two vertices is connected and has two terminal ...
has a natural topology that generalises many of the geometric aspects of
graphs with
vertices and
edges.
* Many sets of
linear operator
In mathematics, and more specifically in linear algebra, a linear map (also called a linear mapping, linear transformation, vector space homomorphism, or in some contexts linear function) is a Map (mathematics), mapping V \to W between two vect ...
s in
functional analysis
Functional analysis is a branch of mathematical analysis, the core of which is formed by the study of vector spaces endowed with some kind of limit-related structure (e.g. inner product, norm, topology, etc.) and the linear functions defi ...
are endowed with topologies that are defined by specifying when a particular sequence of functions converges to the zero function.
* Any
local field has a topology native to it, and this can be extended to vector spaces over that field.
* The
Sierpiński space is the simplest non-discrete topological space. It has important relations to the
theory of computation and semantics.
* If Γ is an
ordinal number
In set theory, an ordinal number, or ordinal, is a generalization of ordinal numerals (first, second, th, etc.) aimed to extend enumeration to infinite sets.
A finite set can be enumerated by successively labeling each element with the leas ...
, then the set Γ =
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_Continuous_functions
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