---
name: compactness
description: "Problem-solving strategies for compactness in topology"
allowed-tools: [Bash, Read]
---
# Compactness
## When to Use
Use this skill when working on compactness problems in topology.
## Decision Tree
1. **Is X compact?**
- If X subset R^n: Is X closed AND bounded? (Heine-Borel)
- If X is metric: Does every sequence have convergent subsequence?
- General: Does every open cover have finite subcover?
- `z3_solve.py prove "bounded_and_closed"`
2. **Compactness Tests**
- Heine-Borel (R^n): closed + bounded = compact
- Sequential: every sequence has convergent subsequence
- `sympy_compute.py limit "a_n" --var n` to check convergence
3. **Product Spaces**
- Tychonoff: product of compact spaces is compact
- Finite products preserve compactness directly
4. **Consequences of Compactness**
- Continuous image of compact is compact
- Continuous real function on compact attains max/min
- `sympy_compute.py maximum "f(x)" --var x --domain "[a,b]"`
## Tool Commands
### Z3_Bounded_Closed
```bash
uv run python -m runtime.harness scripts/z3_solve.py prove "bounded_and_closed"
```
### Sympy_Limit
```bash
uv run python -m runtime.harness scripts/sympy_compute.py limit "a_n" --var n --at oo
```
### Sympy_Maximum
```bash
uv run python -m runtime.harness scripts/sympy_compute.py maximum "f(x)" --var x --domain "[a,b]"
```
## Key Techniques
*From indexed textbooks:*
- [Topology (Munkres, James Raymond) (Z-Library)] CompactSpaces163 164ConnectednessandCompactnessCh. Itisnotasnaturalorintuitiveastheformer;somefamiliaritywithitisneededbeforeitsusefulnessbecomesapparent. AcollectionAofsubsetsofaspaceXissaidtocoverX,ortobeacoveringofX,iftheunionoftheelementsofAisequaltoX.
- [Real Analysis (Halsey L. Royden, Patr... (Z-Library)] If X contains more than one point, show that the only possible extreme points of B have norm 1. If X = Lp[a, b], 1 < p < ∞, show that every unit vector in B is an extreme point of B. If X = L∞[a, b], show that the extreme points of B are those functions f ∈ B such that |f | = 1 almost everywhere on [a, b].
- [Topology (Munkres, James Raymond) (Z-Library)] ShowthatinthenitecomplementtopologyonR,everysubspaceiscom-pact. IfRhasthetopologyconsistingofallsetsAsuchthatR−AiseithercountableorallofR,is[0,1]acompactsubspace? ShowthataniteunionofcompactsubspacesofXiscompact.
- [Real Analysis (Halsey L. Royden, Patr... (Z-Library)] The Eberlein-ˇSmulian Theorem . Metrizability of Weak Topologies . X is reexive; (ii) B is weakly compact; (iii) B is weakly sequentially compact.
- [Topology (Munkres, James Raymond) (Z-Library)] SupposethatYiscompactandA={Aα}α∈JisacoveringofYbysetsopeninX. Thenthecollection{Aα∩Y|α∈J}isacoveringofYbysetsopeninY;henceanitesubcollection{Aα1∩Y,. Aαn}isasubcollectionofAthatcoversY.
## Cognitive Tools Reference
See `.claude/skills/math-mode/SKILL.md` for full tool documentation.