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Let's choose an open covering for $\left [ 0,1 \right ]$. For example $$\left \{ \left ( \frac 1 n,1-\frac 1 n \right ) \mid n\in \{ 3,4,\dots\} \right \}.$$ How can one choose a finite open subcover to prove compactness?

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    If your collection of open sets is to be a cover of the interval, it has to cover 0 and 1, which - even given the fact that my browser is not interpreting your formula - seem to be missing from the union of your proposed covering sets.2012-08-30
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    Indeed, that is an open cover of $(0,1)$, not $[0,1]$. Since the former interval is not compact, it is not a surprise that there is no finite subcover.2012-08-30
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    See here for some other proofs of this fact: http://math.stackexchange.com/questions/368108/how-to-prove-every-closed-interval-in-r-is-compact2016-04-23
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    Read the statement of compactness theorem again. WORD BY WORD.2018-12-19

4 Answers 4

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Here is a quick and elegant proof of the actual result that $[0,1]$ is compact based on real induction:

Let $\mathcal{O}$ be an (arbitrary!) open cover. Let $P$ be the set of points $x$ in $[0,1]$ such that $[0,x]$ can be covered by finitely many elements of $\mathcal{O}$. We have $0\in P$ and $P$ is bounded above by $1$. Therefore, $P$ has a supremum $s$.

We first show that $[0,s]$ can be covered by finitely many sets in $\mathcal{O}$. This is trivial when $s=0$, so assume $s>0$. Let $O_s\in\mathcal{O}$ be a set containing $s$. Then there is an $\epsilon \in (0, s)$ such that $(s-\epsilon,s]\subseteq O_s$. By assumption, there is a finite subcover of $[0,s-\epsilon/2]$. By adding $O_s$ to that finite subcovering, we get a finite subcovering of $[0,s]$.

We now show that $s=1$. Suppose $s<1$ and let $O_s\in\mathcal{O}$ be a set containing $s$. Then there is an $\epsilon>0$ such that $[s,s+\epsilon)\subseteq O_s$. So taking a finite subcover of $[0,s]$ and adding the set $O_s$ gives us a finite subcover of $[0,s+\epsilon/2]$, contradicting the construction of $s$.

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    I am just learning about compactness and I'm a bit confused by the fourth sentence in the third paragraph. How do I know $\exists \epsilon \in (0,s)$ such that $(s-\epsilon,s]\subseteq O_s$? Does this follow from the fact $[0,s]$ can be covered by finitely many sets in $\mathcal{O}$? If so, why?2015-07-09
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    @StanShunpike That is basically the definition of an open set. If $O_s$ is open, there must be some "wiggle room" around each of its elements. In particular, if $s\in O_s$ then for some $\epsilon>0$, $(s-\epsilon, s+\epsilon)\subseteq O_s$. The result follows now from $(s-\epsilon,s]\subseteq (s-\epsilon,s+\epsilon)\subseteq O_s$.2015-07-10
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The collection of sets above is not an open cover of $[0,1]$. The points $0$ and the point $1$ are not in any of them.


Also you can not prove compactness of anything by taking an open cover and finding a subcover.

The definition of compactness is that for all open covers, there exists a finite subcover.

If you want to prove compactness for the interval $[0,1]$, one way is to use the Heine-Borel Theorem that asserts that compact subsets of $\mathbb{R}$ are exactly those closed and bounded subsets.

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    Borel actually proved the theorem by showing that each closed and bounded interval is compact...2012-08-31
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Answering your question would not prove compactness. The condition for compactness is that every open cover has a finite subcover, not just that a single given open cover has a finite subcover. A proof that $[0,1]$ is compact with respect to the Euclidean metric topology can be found here.

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    $EVERY$. A very important word.2018-12-19
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I assume that you would like to prove that it is compact with respect to the usual topology. Since that topology is "generated" by a metric the topological compactness is equvalent with metrical compactness, i.e. the condition stating that every sequence has converging subsequence.

Observe that every sequence of elements of the interval $[0,1]$ is bounded. Therefore, by the Bolzano-Weierstrass theorem, it has a convergent subsequence.

Notice that the Bolzano-Weierstrass theorem can be proved by analytical arguments, so we are not in the vicious circle.

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    Proving the equivalence of compactness in terms of open coverings and proving the equivalence with sequential compactness is much, much harder than proving Heine-Borel in the one-dimensional case.2012-08-31