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Metric Spaces

This document defines a metric space as a set X endowed with a metric or distance function d that satisfies three properties: symmetry, triangle inequality, and non-degeneracy. A subset M of X is a subspace if it inherits the same metric as X. Examples are given of metric spaces including any set with the discrete metric, Rn with the Euclidean distance, and the set of bounded continuous functions on an interval with the supremum norm. Normed spaces are also metric spaces if the distance is defined as the norm of the difference between two elements. While metric spaces need not be vector spaces, the non-negative real numbers with the standard distance is a metric space.

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297 views2 pages

Metric Spaces

This document defines a metric space as a set X endowed with a metric or distance function d that satisfies three properties: symmetry, triangle inequality, and non-degeneracy. A subset M of X is a subspace if it inherits the same metric as X. Examples are given of metric spaces including any set with the discrete metric, Rn with the Euclidean distance, and the set of bounded continuous functions on an interval with the supremum norm. Normed spaces are also metric spaces if the distance is defined as the norm of the difference between two elements. While metric spaces need not be vector spaces, the non-negative real numbers with the standard distance is a metric space.

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gommle
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Metric spaces

Definition
Let X be a set and d: X X [0, ) a function such that

(i)
(ii)
(iii)

d(x, y) = d(y, x),


d(x, y) d(x, z) + d(z, y),
d(x, y) = 0 ifonlyif x = y.

(symmetry)
(triangleinequality)
(nondegeneracy)

The pair (X, d) is called a metric space and the function d is called a metric or distance on X .
A subset M X is called a subspace of X , (M, d) (X, d) , if it is endowed with the same metric
as X . The metric d is called the induced metric on M . Subspaces of metric spaces are
themselves metric spaces.
Ex.
Any set is a metric space when endowed with the discrete metric

d(x, y) :=

1,
{ 0,

x y,
x = y.

n is a metric space when endowed with the Euclidean distance


2

d(x, y) := |x y| = ((x1 y1 ) + + (x n yn )

2 1/2
)

The supremum norm induces a metric on the set of bounded and continuous
functions on an interval:

d(f , g) = f g = sup |f (x) g(x)|.


xI

This makes (BC(I, ), ) a metric space.

Normed spaces are metric spaces


If is a norm on X , then d(x, y) := x y is a metric on X .
Proof

The distance is non-negative and well defined, since

0 x y x + y < ,

d(x,y)

for

x, y (X, ).

Symmetry:
Triangleinequality:
Nondegeneracy:

d(x, y) = x y = y x = d(y, x).


d(x, y) = x y x z + z y = d(x, z) + d(z, y).
d(x, y) = x y = 0 x y = 0 x = y.

N.b. Metric spaces need not be vector spaces. The set of positive real numbers, + , with the
metric given by d(x, y) := |x y| is a metric space, but it is not a linear space, since it neither
contains an additive identity (0) nor additive inverses (x ).
Mats Ehrnstrm (/users/ehrnstro/start). This material is free for private use. Public sharing, online
publishing and printing to sell or distribute are prohibited.

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