9
$\begingroup$

Let $X$ be a separable normed space. Is it true that every subspace is separable? If it was Hilbert space I would take the dense set and then their projections. It sounds trivial but I cannot prove or disprove it...

Thank you.

  • 3
    Hint: A metric space is separable if and only if it is second countable. Second countability passes to subspaces.2012-08-09
  • 1
    I see so it is seperable because every open set of a subspace is of the form $Y \cap V$ where V is an open set of $X$2012-08-09
  • 1
    A metric space is separable IFF it doesn't contain uncountable family of points with pairwise distance greater than some $\delta$. Corollary - subspace of separable space is separable.2012-08-09
  • 0
    My problem was how to pass from the topology of the subspace to the whole topology space2012-08-09
  • 0
    Related: https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/1628253/subspace-of-a-separable-space-is-separable2017-01-08

1 Answers 1

6

Let $X$ be a separable metric space and $x_n$ a dense subset. Let $a_m$ be an enumeration of the positive rational numbers and let $V_{(n,m)}=\{y \in X \mid d(y,x_n) < a_m \}$. This is a countable base of X.

Indeed, take an open set $U$ of $X$. For $y_0 \in U$ there is $\epsilon >0$ such that $B(y_0, \epsilon) \subset U$. Choose $x_{n_0}$ such that $d(x_{n_0},y)< \frac{ \epsilon }{4}$ and $a_{m_0}$ such that $ \frac{ \epsilon }{4}< a_{m_0} < \frac{ \epsilon }{2} $.Then $y \in V_y=V_{ (n_0 , m_0)} \subset U$ and $$U= \bigcup_{y \in U}V_y.$$

  • 2
    Exactly. Now intersect your base with the subspace, get again a base and pick a point in each one of the countably many basis sets. +1. (Btw: it's sepArable, not seperable)2012-08-09
  • 0
    Yes yes, I understood from your comment if I proved that how it would go afterwards. Thanks! (P.S. I will not make that mistake again it always slipped my mind, it was because of my wrong accent )2012-08-09
  • 1
    Small nitpick: better take all rational radii (instead of only those of the form $1/m$) because there need not be a number of the form $1/m_0$ between $\epsilon/4$ and $\epsilon/2$.2012-08-09