Is a Metric Space with a Surjective Contraction Mapping Non-Compact?

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In summary, a metric space is a set of objects with a function that measures the distance between them, used to study their properties. A surjective contraction mapping is a function where each element in the target set has a corresponding element in the source set with a smaller distance. A metric space is non-compact if it cannot be covered by a finite number of open sets, leading to infinite sequences without a convergent subsequence. A metric space with a surjective contraction mapping is non-compact because the mapping keeps shrinking distances, leading to infinite sequences without a convergent subsequence. Real-life examples of non-compact metric spaces with surjective contraction mappings include the space of real numbers with the metric of absolute value and the space of continuous functions
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Euge
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I had several delays which prevented me from posting a problem early. My apologies. Here's this week's problem.

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Problem. Let $(M,d)$ be a metric space for which there is a surjective contraction mapping $f : M \to M$. Show that $M$ is non-compact.

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Remark. There are two important pieces of information that will help those who are having difficulties with this problem. A contraction mapping on a metric space $(X,d)$ is a function $f : X \to X$ for which there is a constant $c$, $0 < c < 1$, such that $d(f(x),f(y)) \le c\, d(x,y)$ for all $x,y\in X$. In the above problem, you are to assume that $M$ has more than one point.

Remember to read the http://www.mathhelpboards.com/showthread.php?772-Problem-of-the-Week-%28POTW%29-Procedure-and-Guidelines to find out how to http://www.mathhelpboards.com/forms.php?do=form&fid=2!
 
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This week's problem was correctly answered by Fallen Angel. Here is his solution.
Assume $M$ is compact and let $\{U_{i}\}_{i\in I}$ be a open cover and $\{U_{n}\}_{n=1}^{k}$ a finite sub cover.

Since $f$ is contractive, for all $\epsilon >0$ there exists $m_{n}\in \Bbb{N}$ such that $d(f^{m_{n}}(x),f^{m_{n}}(y))<\epsilon$ $\forall (x,y)\in U_{n}$. Take $m=max\{m_{1},m_{2},\ldots ,m_{k}\}$.
Since $\{U_{n}\}_{n=1}^{k}$ is a cover, we got that $d(f^{m}(x),f^{m}(y))<k\epsilon$, $\forall \ x,y\in M$

Now consider $a,b\in M$ with $a\neq b$. Then $d(a,b)=\delta >0$ and take $\epsilon=\dfrac{\delta}{k+1}$.
Then there exists $m$ such that $d(f^{m}(x),f^{m}(y))<\dfrac{k}{k+1}\delta, \ \forall \ x,y\in M$ so $a\notin f^{m}(M)$ or $b\notin f^{m}(M)$.
Hence $f$ can't be surjective.

I'm also providing my solution below:
By way of contradiction, suppose $M$ is compact and there exists a $c$-contraction mapping $f$ from $M$ onto itself. The metric $d$ is a continuous mapping from $(M \times M, D)$ to $\Bbb R$, where $D$ is the metric on $M \times M$ given by $D((x,y),(a,b)):= d(x,a) + d(y,b)$. For by the triangle inequality, if $(x,y), (a,b)\in M \times M$, \[d(x,y) - d(a,b) \le d(x,a) + d(a,y) - d(a,b) \le d(x,a) + d(y,b) = D((x,y),(a,b)).\] By symmetry, $d(a,b) - d(x,y) \le D((x,y), (a,b))$. Therefore \[|d(x,y) - d(a,b)| \le D((a,b),(x,y)),\] showing that $d$ is (uniformly) continuous. Since $M \times M$ is compact, there exists a point $(x_0,y_0)\in M \times M$ such that $d(x_0,y_0) = \text{diam}(M)$. Since $f$ is onto, $x_0 = f(x_1)$ and $y_0 = f(y_1)$ for some $x_1,y_1\in M$. Thus \[\text{diam}(M) = d(x_0, y_0) = d(f(x_1), f(y_1)) \le c\, d(x_1, y_1) \le c\, \text{diam}(M).\] Consequently, $(1 - c)\, \text{diam}(M) \le 0$. Since $0 \le c < 1$, $\text{diam}(M) \le 0$, i.e., $\text{diam}(M) = 0$. This contradicts the assumption that $M$ contains more than one point.

Note. As standard terminology, a contractive mapping on a metric space $(X,d)$ is a function $f : X \to X$ such that $d(f(x),f(y)) < d(x,y)$ for all $x,y\in X$. In Fallen Angel's solution however, a contractive function is a contraction.
 

FAQ: Is a Metric Space with a Surjective Contraction Mapping Non-Compact?

What is a metric space?

A metric space is a mathematical concept that defines a set of objects and a function called a metric that measures the distance between any two objects in the set. It is used to study the properties of these spaces and the relationships between the objects within them.

What is a surjective contraction mapping?

A surjective contraction mapping is a function in which every element in the target set has at least one corresponding element in the source set. Additionally, the function must also satisfy the condition that the distance between any two elements in the target set is always less than the distance between their corresponding elements in the source set.

What does it mean for a metric space to be non-compact?

A metric space is considered non-compact if it does not have a finite subcover, meaning that it cannot be covered by a finite number of open sets. This means that there are infinite sequences in the space that do not have a convergent subsequence.

Why is a metric space with a surjective contraction mapping non-compact?

A metric space with a surjective contraction mapping is non-compact because the mapping will keep shrinking the distances between elements in the target set, making it impossible to cover the entire space with a finite number of open sets. This leads to the existence of infinite sequences without a convergent subsequence, making the space non-compact.

What are some real-life examples of non-compact metric spaces with surjective contraction mappings?

One example is the space of real numbers with the metric of absolute value. Another example is the space of continuous functions on a closed interval with the metric of uniform convergence. Both of these spaces have surjective contraction mappings and are non-compact.

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