The Discrete Metric Space
Miliyon T.
April 16, 2016
Abstract
A counter example is crucial in mathematics. A discrete metric space appears as a
counter example here and there in analysis. In this concise paper, with all our e orts
starting with de nitions we try to look at some basic results on discrete metric space.
Introduction
Definition 1.1. A metric on a non-empty set X is a function d : X X R satisfying
1. d(x, y) 0 and d(x, y) = 0 i x = y.
2. d(x, y) = d(y, x),
x, y X.
3. d(x, z) d(x, y) + d(y, z),
x, y, z X.
(Positive de nite)
(Symmetry)
(Triangle inequality)
The couple (X, d) is called a metric space1 . The above three properties are called metric
axioms.
Definition 1.2 (Discrete metric). Given an arbitrary set X for any two points x, y of X
the discrete metric de ned as follows
d(x, y) =
1
if x 6= y
if x = y
Definition 1.3 (Convergence). Let (X, d) be a metric space. A sequence (xn ) X converges to an element x X if for all > 0 there exists an N N such that d(xn , x) <
whenever n N.
1 A generalization of a metric space is a pseudo
metric space(semi-metric space) in which the distance
between two distinct points can be zero. The de nition of a pseudo metric space is similar to metric space
except the rst axiom is replaced by the weaker axiom: d(x, x) = 0. The set of all Lebesgue measurable
function on [0, 1] with
Z1
|(f g)(x)|dx
d(f, g) =
0
is one example of pseudo metric space.
Definition 1.4 (Cauchy sequence). A sequence in a metric space (X, d) is a Cauchy sequence if for all > 0 there exists an N N such that d(xn , xm ) < whenever n, m N.
Definition 1.5 (Complete). A metric space (X, d) is called complete if every Cauchy
sequence in X converges to an element of X.
Definition 1.6 (Dense). A subset A of X is dense in X if the closure of A is X.
Definition 1.7 (Separable). A space X is separable if it admits countable dense subset.
Definition 1.8 (Norm). A Normed Space is a pair (X, || ||). X is vector space with a norm.
The norm is a real-valued function on X and satis es for all x, y X and R or C,
1. ||x|| 0, and ||x|| = 0 x = 0,
(Positive)
(Homogeneous)
(Triangle inequality)
2. ||x|| = ||||x||,
3. ||x + y|| ||x|| + ||y||,
Remark
given by
1.9. A normed space is also a metric space. A metric d induced by the norm is
d(x, y) = ||x y||.
But every metric space is not normed see proposition (2.2).
Basic Result
Theorem 2.1.
Discrete metric is indeed a metric.
To show d is a metric on X. We want to show that d satis es the following
three properties:
Solution.
(i) Positive de nite: By de nition d(x, y) 0 and d(x, y) = 0 x = y.
(ii) Symmetry:
d(x, y) =
1
0
if x 6= y
if x = y
1
0
if y 6= x
if y = x
(iii) Triangle inequality: For all x, y and z in X,
If x = y or y = z then d(x, z) = d(x, y) + d(y, z).
Suppose, then , that x 6= y and y 6= z, then we have
d(x, y) + d(y, z) = 2 > d(x, z).
Using (i),(ii) and (iii), we conclude that d is a metric on X.
= d(y, x)
Proposition 2.2.
For a vector space
X 6= {0}
a discrete metric on
is not normed.
We know that the discrete metric only takes values of 1 and 0. Now suppose it
comes from some norm ||.||. Then for any in the underlying eld of your vector space
and x, y X, you must have that
Proof.
k(x y)k = || kx yk.
But now ||x y|| is a xed number and I can make arbitrarily large and consequently
the discrete metric does not come from any norm on X.
Theorem 2.3.
Proof.
The discrete metric space is complete
If {xn } is cauchy,then for every > 0 there exists an N N such that
d(xm , xn ) <
whenever n, m > N
Now take = 12 , then there exists an N such that
d(xm , xn ) <
1
2
whenever n, m > N
(1)
But d is a discrete metric, so (1) holds only if xm = xn for n, m > N. Thus, any Cauchy
sequence in the discrete space is eventually constant(i.e. constant from some term on).
Hence convergent.
Theorem 2.4.
The discrete metric space is separable if and only if
is countable.
Suppose M X, to show M 6= X take x X \ M.
Clearly d(x, m) = 1, for any m M (since d is discrete). So if we choose any neighbourhood of x with radius less than 1. This neighbourhood doesn't contain a point of M. This
implies x is not a limit point of M.
Therefore M 6= X, hence X does not contain a dense subset.
Proof.
References
[1] Mcheal o Searcoid, Metric Spaces.
[2] [Seymour Lipschutz] Schaum's Outline of Theory and Problems of Genereal Topology,
McGraw-Hill, New York, 1965.
