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Question. Is there a continuous function $f:\mathbb R^\omega\to\mathbb R$ whose restriction $f|\mathbb Q^\omega$ is injective?

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    $\begingroup$ What topology is put on $\mathbb R^\omega$? $\endgroup$
    – Fan Zheng
    Commented Sep 3, 2017 at 3:34
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    $\begingroup$ @FanZheng $\mathbb R^\omega$ carries the Tychonoff product topology. $\endgroup$ Commented Sep 3, 2017 at 3:43

1 Answer 1

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It looks like no.

Assume the contrary. We may start with two distinct rationals $q_1,p_1$ such that the sets $f(q_1\times \mathbb{R}^{\omega-1})=f(\{(q_1,\cdot,\cdot,\dots)\})$ and $f(p_1\times \mathbb{R}^{\omega-1})$ intersect. Indeed, for any $p_1$ the set $f(p_1\times \mathbb{R}^{\omega-1})$ has non-empty interior, choose reals such that $f(p_1,x_2,x_3,\dots)$ is interior point of this set. After that any $q_1$ close enough to $p_1$ works, since $f(q_1,x_2,\dots)$ is close to $f(p_1,x_2,\dots)$.

After that choose small intervals $\Delta_2,\Delta_3,\dots$ and $\delta_2,\delta_3,\dots$ such that the sets $f(q_1\times \Delta_2\times \Delta_3\times \dots)$ and $f(p_1\times \delta_2\times \delta_3\times \dots)$ intersect and have diameter less than 1. After that choose $q_2\in \Delta_2$ and $p_2\in \delta_2$ such that $f(q_1\times q_2\times \Delta_3\times \dots)$ and $f(p_1\times p_2\times \delta_3\times \dots)$ intersect. Proceeding this way, we get two rational sequences with the same value of $f$.

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  • $\begingroup$ Thank you for the nice and short solution. I also arrived to negative answer and started to write it (using Baire Theorem), but your solution is much shoter and nice. $\endgroup$ Commented Sep 3, 2017 at 6:47
  • $\begingroup$ Wait, why does for any $p_1$ the set $f(p_1\times\mathbb{R}^{\omega-1})$ have non-empty interior? Isn't the first projection $f\colon(p_n)_{n\in\omega}\,\mapsto p_1$ a counterexample? Or are you using injectivity of $f$ on $\mathbb{Q}^\omega$, but how? (I remember convincing myself that your argument was correct, but now I all confused.) $\endgroup$
    – Gro-Tsen
    Commented Sep 17, 2018 at 14:59
  • $\begingroup$ @Gro-Tsen by injectivity it contains two different points and by continuity on the segment between them we get the whole segment $\endgroup$ Commented Sep 17, 2018 at 15:38
  • $\begingroup$ Oh yes of course, silly question. Thanks. $\endgroup$
    – Gro-Tsen
    Commented Sep 17, 2018 at 17:26

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