Equivalence of Metric Space Continuity Definitions

Theorem

Let $M_1 = \left({A_1, d_1}\right)$ and $M_2 = \left({A_2, d_2}\right)$ be metric spaces.

Let $f: A_1 \to A_2$ be a mapping from $A_1$ to $A_2$.

Let $a \in A_1$ be a point in $A_1$.

The definitions for continuity of $f$ from $A_1$ to $A_2$ are equivalent.

That is, the following definitions say exactly the same thing:

Definition using Limit

$f$ continuous at (the point) $a$ (with respect to the metrics $d_1$ and $d_2$) when the limit of $f \left({x}\right)$ as $x \to a$ exists and

$\displaystyle \lim_{x \to a} f \left({x}\right) = f \left({a}\right)$.

Open Set Definition

$f$ is continuous (with respect to the metrics $d_1$ and $d_2$) iff:

for every set $U \subseteq M_2$ which is open in $M_2$, $f^{-1} \left({U}\right)$ is open in $M_1$.

Proof

• Suppose that $f$ is defined to be continuous (in the sense of the definition using limits) for all $a \in A_1$.

Let $U \subseteq M_2$ be open in $M_2$.

Let $x \in f^{-1} \left({U}\right)$.

Since $U$ is open in $M_2$, $\exists \epsilon > 0: N_\epsilon \left({f \left({x}\right)}\right) \subseteq U$.

By hypothesis, $\exists \delta > 0: f \left({N_\delta \left({x}\right)}\right) \subseteq N_\epsilon \left({f \left({x}\right)}\right)$.

So $f \left({N_\delta \left({x}\right)}\right) \subseteq U$ and so $N_\delta \left({x}\right) \subseteq f^{-1} \left({U}\right)$.

Thus $f^{-1} \left({U}\right)$ is open in $M_1$.

• Now suppose $f$ is defined to be continuous (in the sense of the Open Set Definition).

Let $\epsilon > 0$.

Then by Neighborhood of Point Inside Neighborhood, $N_\epsilon \left({f \left({x}\right)}\right)$ is open in $M_2$.

So by hypothesis, $f^{-1} \left({N_\epsilon \left({f \left({x}\right)}\right)}\right)$ is open in $M_1$.

As $f \left({x}\right) \in N_\epsilon \left({f \left({x}\right)}\right)$, and therefore $x \in f^{-1} \left({N_\epsilon \left({f \left({x}\right)}\right)}\right)$.

So by hypothesis $\exists \delta > 0: N_\delta \left({x}\right) \subseteq f^{-1} \left({N_\epsilon \left({f \left({x}\right)}\right)}\right)$.

Then $f \left({N_\delta \left({x}\right)}\right) \subseteq N_\epsilon \left({f \left({x}\right)}\right)$.

Thus $f$ is continuous at $x$ in the sense of the Epsilon-Neighborhood Definition.

$\blacksquare$