Is the Set of Integer Outputs of sin(x) Sequentially Compact in ℝ?

In summary, the conversation discusses whether the set of the image of sin(x) and x is an integer greater than one is sequentially compact. It is determined that the set is bounded and closed, making it compact. However, there are some concerns about the set being discrete and its closure being equal to the whole interval. It is concluded that the set is not compact on the Reals, according to Heine-Borel theorem.
  • #1
MidgetDwarf
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Hi. Someone showed me a problem today regarding sequentially compact sets in ℝ.

Ie., is the set of the image of sin(x) and x is an integer greater than one, sequentially compact? Yes or no.

What is obvious is that we know that this set is a subset of [-1,1], which is bounded. So therefore the set in question must be bounded. However, when thinking about whether the set is closed, is where we ran into issues.

My idea was to use the fact that a set is closed iff it contains all of its boundary points. We know that since, the argument of the sin function must be an integer. Then the points in this set are 'discrete', and so every point in this set is actually a boundary point. Therefore the set is closed, and consequently compact.

But this seems a little off. So I suggested to argue that the complement of the set was open., and see what happens. but there another issue here.

I think an easier approach, to argue the correct way, is to just graph the demon, and look at its behavior. The problem is that I tried graphing it into matlab, but I am unsure of how to do this by only showing the integer outputs. Can someone share the graph.
 
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  • #2
It is not compact because ##1## is not in this set (since ##sin(x)=1## only when ##x=\pi/2+2n\pi## for integer ##n## and all of these values are irrational) but it is a limit point of this set. In general, if ##a/b## is irrational, then the multiples of ##a## are dense in ##[0,b]## mod 1.

MidgetDwarf said:
We know that since, the argument of the sin function must be an integer. Then the points in this set are 'discrete', and so every point in this set is actually a boundary point. Therefore the set is closed, and consequently compact.

The image of a discrete set under a continuous map need not be discrete.
 
  • #3
I guess you can also argue it's not closed , since it's dense in [-1,1] ( I believe by equidistribution theorem; if x is Irratiinal, then for n integer, {nx ( mod 1)} is dense in [0,1]), so that its closure would equal the whole interval. Thus, not being closed and bounded, it's not compact on the Reals, by Heine-Borel.
 
  • #4
Iirc, compactness and sequential compactness are equivalent on metric spaces, here the Reals.
 

FAQ: Is the Set of Integer Outputs of sin(x) Sequentially Compact in ℝ?

1. What does it mean for a set to be sequentially compact?

Sequential compactness is a property of a set in a topological space where every sequence in the set has a subsequence that converges to a limit that is also within the set. In simpler terms, a set is sequentially compact if you can't have an infinite sequence of points in the set that keeps moving away from each other without converging to a point in the set.

2. What are the integer outputs of sin(x)?

The integer outputs of sin(x) are the values that the sine function can take that are also integers. Since the sine function oscillates between -1 and 1 for all real numbers x, the only integer outputs are 0, 1, and -1.

3. Is the set of integer outputs of sin(x) sequentially compact in ℝ?

Yes, the set of integer outputs of sin(x), which is {0, 1, -1}, is sequentially compact in ℝ. This is because it is a finite set, and any finite set in a metric space is sequentially compact. Any sequence formed from this set will have a subsequence that converges to one of the points in the set.

4. How can we prove that the set {0, 1, -1} is sequentially compact?

To prove that the set {0, 1, -1} is sequentially compact, we can take any sequence of elements from this set. Since there are only three possible values, by the pigeonhole principle, at least one of these values must repeat infinitely often. Thus, we can extract a subsequence that converges to that repeated value, which is an element of the set itself, demonstrating that the set is sequentially compact.

5. Are there any other sets of outputs from sin(x) that are sequentially compact?

Any finite set of outputs from sin(x) will be sequentially compact. However, the set of all outputs of sin(x) over the reals, which is the interval [-1, 1], is not sequentially compact because it is not closed (it does not contain its boundary points) and not bounded in the context of the entire real line. Therefore, while finite sets of integer outputs are sequentially compact, the continuous range of outputs [-1, 1] is not.

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