EXERCISE SESSION 5

ALICE HEDENLUND

Topological groups 3
Let H be a subspace of the topological group G. Show that if H is also a subgroup of G, then both H
and H are topological groups.
————————————————————
Recall that a topological group G is a T1 space with the structure of a group such that the multiplication
µ : G × G → G and inversion ι : G → G are continuous maps. We first note that H and H are also T1 since
they are subspaces of a T1 -space. Since H is a subgroup of G we know that µ(H × H) ⊂ H and ι(H) ⊂ H
and we conclude that
µ |H×H : H × H → H and ι |H : H → H
are continuous maps by [Mun00, Theorem 18.2], since they are obtained by restricting the source and target
of continuous maps. Similarly, since µ and ι are continuous, we have by [Mun00, Theorem 18.1] that
µ(H × H) = µ(H × H) ⊂ µ(H × H) ⊂ H
and
ι(H) ⊂ ι(H) ⊂ H ,
so that the restricted maps
µ |H×H : H × H → H and ι |H : H → H
are continuous by the same argument.

Topological groups 4
Let α be an element of G. Show that the maps fα , gα : G → G defined by
fα (x) = α · x and gα (x) = x · α
are homeomorphisms of G.
——————————————————————
The map fα : G → G is continuous; it is the composition
(cα ,idG )
G / G×G µ
/ G, g 7→ (α, g) 7→ α · x
and that both of these maps are continuous. It is straight forward to see that the inverse of fα is fα−1 , which
is again continuous by the same argument. Hence fα is a homeomorphism. Same argument for gα .

Topological groups 5
Let H be a subgroup of G. If x ∈ G, define xH = {x · h | h ∈ H}; this set is called a left coset of H in
G. Let G/H denote the collection of left cosets of H in G; it is a partition of G. Give G/H the quotient
topology.
(a) Show that if α ∈ G, the map fα of the preceeding exercise induces a homeomorphism of G/H carrying
xH to (α · x)H.
(b) Show that if H is a closed set in the topology of G, then one-point sets of G/H are closed.
(c) Show that the quotient map p : G → G/H is open.
(d) Show that if H is closed in the topology of G and is a normal subgroup of G, then G/H is a topological
group.

Date: September 23, 2019.

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 ——————————————————————————————
(a) Let hα = p ◦ fα : G → G/H; it carries x to (α · x)H and is a continuous map by the previous exercise.
We will show that the maps in the diagram
G
hα
p
 #
G/H / G/H

satisfies the conditions of [Mun00, Theorem 22.2] so that we get an induced map in the diagram. We
need to check that hα is constant on each set p−1 ({yH}). Note that
p−1 ({yH}) = {x ∈ G | xH = yH}
so for all x ∈ p−1 ({yH}) we have
hα (x) = (α · x)H = α(xH) = α(yH) = (α · y)H .
We conclude that the induced map e hα : G/H → G/H carrying xH to (α · x)H is continuous. Same
argument for hα−1 shows that it is a homeomorphism.
(b) We know that the quotient topology on G/H is such that
{yH} is closed in G/H ⇐⇒ p−1 ({yH}) is closed in G ,
so it suffices to show that the right hand side holds. Consider the continuous map fy−1 : G → G and
note that
fy−1
−1 (H) = {x ∈ G | y
−1
· x ∈ H}
= {x ∈ G | xH = yH}
= p−1 ({yH})
which is then closed since H is.
(c) Let U be an open set of G; we wish to show that p(U ) is open in G/H. Since p is a quotient map this
equivalent to showing that p−1 (p(U )) is open in G. Note that
p−1 (p(U )) = {x · h | x ∈ U and h ∈ H}
[
= gh (U )
h∈H

which is open since each map gh : G → G is a homeomorphism.

(d) It is a well-known fact that G/H is obtains a group structure if H is normal in G; see your standard
textbook on basic group theory. In particular, the multiplication and inversion are given in the obvious
way
xH · yH = (x · y)H and (xH)−1 = x−1 H .
The previous exercise (b) shows that H being closed implies that G/H is T1 . Left to show is that the
maps µ : G/H × G/H → G/H and ι : G/H → G/H are continuous. Let m : G × G → G and i : G → G
denote the continuous multiplication and inversion maps of G. Observe that ι is the unique map that
fits into the diagram
G
p◦i
p
 #
G/H
ι / G/H

so it is continuous by [Mun00, Theorem 22.2] since the composition p◦i is constant on the sets p−1 ({yH}).
Indeed, if x ∈ p−1 ({yH}) then
(p ◦ i)(x) = p(x−1 ) = x−1 H = (xH)−1 = (yH)−1 .
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 Similarly, µ is the unique map that fits into the diagram
G×G
(p×p)◦m
p×p
 &
G/H × G/H
µ
/ G/H

so again it is continuous by [Mun00, Theorem 22.2], since p ◦ m is constant on on the sets (p ×

p)−1 ({(y1 H, y2 H)}). Indeed, if (x1 , x2 ) ∈ p−1 ({(y1 H, y2 H)}) then
(p ◦ m)(x1 , x2 ) = p(x1 · x2 ) = (x1 · x2 )H = x1 H · x2 H = y1 H · y2 H .
Note that p × p : G × G → G/H × G/H is not a priori a quotient map, which might be a problem,
but since p is an open map by (c), and products of open maps are open, and surjective continuous open
maps are quotient maps, we are fine.

Exercise 25.8
Let p : X → Y be a quotient map. Show that if X is locally connected, then Y is locally connected.
——————————————————-
Let U be an open set in Y and C a component of U . We wish to show that C is open in Y and since p is a
quotient map this is equivalent to p−1 (C) being open in X. Consider a point x ∈ p−1 (C) ⊂ p−1 (U ); we will
show that we can find a neighborhood of x which is completely contained in p−1 (C). In particular, we claim
that that open set is the connected component of p−1 (U ) containing x. Let us call that guy D. We know
that D is open since X is locally connected. We also know that p(D) is connected by [Mun00, Theorem
23.5], so it must be contained entirely in some connected component of U ; in particular, this must be C
since p(x) ∈ C. We conclude that
p(D) ⊂ C =⇒ D ⊂ p−1 (p(D)) ⊂ p−1 (C) .

Exercise 25.9
Let G be a topological group; let C be the component of G containing the identity element e. Show that
C is a normal subgroup of G.
————————————————————
We note that if x ∈ G, then the set xC = fx (C) is the connected component containing x (here fx : G → G
is the map that multiplies with x from the left; the same map we saw in earlier exercises). So, if x and y are
both elements of C, so that xC = C and yC = C, then x · y is also in C, since
(x · y)C = x(yC) = xC = C .
Similarly, we have
C = (x−1 · x)C = x−1 (xC) = x−1 C
so x−1 also belongs to C. We have shown that C is a subgroup of G. Left to show is that it is normal. This
follows from the fact that Cx = gx (C) is also the connected component containing x, so that xC = Cx.

Exercise 26.3
Show that a finite union of compact subspaces of X is compact.
————————————————————
Let {Ai }ni=1 be a finite collection of compact subspaces of X and let {Uα } be an open cover of the union:
n
[ [
Ai ⊂ Uα .
i=1 α

Of course, {Uα } is a cover of Ai for all i. Since each Ai is compact we can find finite subcovers
Ai ⊂ Uα1,i ∪ Uα2,i ∪ · · · ∪ Uαmi ,i
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Then it is clear that
n
[ mi
n [
[
Ai ⊂ Uαj,i
i=1 i=1 j=1
so that the union of the compact spaces is compact, as well.

Exercise 26.4
Show that every compact subspace of a metric space is bounded in that metric and is closed. Find a
metric space in which not every closed bounded subspace is compact.
——————————————————————-
Let X be the metric space, denote the associated metric by d, and let A be the compact subspace.
Since metric spaces are Hausdorff it follows from [Mun00, Theorem 26.3] that A is closed. We now turn to
showing that A is bounded. If A is empty, we are done, oterwise we let a be a point in A. The collection
{Bd (a, n) | n ∈ N} is an open cover of A and since A is compact we know that
A ⊂ Bd (a, n1 ) ∪ · · · ∪ Bd (a, nk )
for some finite subcover. Setting
n = max{n1 , . . . , nk }
we clearly have A ⊂ Bd (a, n), so that A is bounded.
Consider R equipped with the bounded metric
¯ y) = min{d(x, y), 1} ,
d(x,
where d is the standard Euclidean metric on R. The bounded metric d¯ induces the same topology on R as
d, so R is not compact, but the entire space R is closed and bounded in the bounded metric.

Exercise 26.7
Show that if Y is compact, then the projection π1 : X × Y → X is a closed map.
——————————————–
Let C be a closed set of X × Y . We want to show that π1 (C) is closed as well. This is of course equivalent
to showing that X \ π1 (C) is open. Pick a point x ∈ X \ π1 (C). The slice {x} × Y is completely contained
in the open set N = (X × Y ) \ C, so by the tube lemma we know that
W ×Y ⊂N
where W is a neighborhood of x. In particular, W is completely contained in X \ π1 (C).

Exercise 26.8
Let f : X → Y ; let Y be compact Hausdorff. Then f is continuous if and only if the graph of f ,
Γf = {(x, f (x)) ∈ X × Y | x ∈ X}
is closed.
————————————————————–
We start by showing that f continuous implies that Γf is closed. Let us look at the map
φ:X ×Y →Y ×Y , (x, y) 7→ (f (x), y)
which is continuous since f is continuous. Let us denote the diagonal of Y by ∆, and note that
φ−1 (∆) = Γf .
The Y being Hausdorff is equivalent to the diagonal ∆ being closed, so in particular this tells us that Γf is
closed, since it is the inverse image of a closed set under a continuous map.
We now show that Γf being closed implies that f is continuous. Let C be a closed set in Y ; we wish to
show that f −1 (C) is closed, as well. We first note that the set (X × C) ∩ Γf is closed in X × Y . In particular,
we have
f −1 (C) = π1 ((X × C) ∩ Γf )
and the right hand side is closed since π1 is a closed map by the previous exercise.
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 References
[Mun00] J. R. Munkres, Topology, Prentice Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2000. Second edition.