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Let $C_c(\mathbb{R})$ be the set of compactly-supported continuous functions on $\mathbb{R}$. We can view this with a number of different topologies but I have my eye on two in particular. Let $X$ be $C_c(\mathbb{R})$ equipped with the inductive limit topology and let $Y$ be the same set with the compact-open topology.

What is an example of a convergent sequence in $Y$ which fails to converge in $X$?
Intuitively, such a sequence must exist since the map $x\to x$ is not continuous from $Y$ to $X$.

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    $\begingroup$ Small note: if you only work with sequences (rather than nets), it is not automatic that a discontinuous function can be detected by a sequence that converges in the source but not the target, unless you know some 'smallness' of your spaces (I don't know off hand if these spaces satisfy some condition of this form). $\endgroup$ Commented May 1, 2020 at 15:20
  • $\begingroup$ What you do mean? $\endgroup$
    – ABIM
    Commented May 1, 2020 at 20:00
  • $\begingroup$ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_(mathematics)#Properties $\endgroup$ Commented May 1, 2020 at 20:34

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Let $\phi \in C_c$ be nonzero (say for simplicity that $\phi$ is supported in $(0,1)$) and let $f_n(x) = \phi(x-n)$ be its translation to the left by $n$.

This sequence converges to 0 uniformly on compact sets (indeed, on any compact set it is eventually equal to 0). But if we think of the inductive limit topology as coming from the inclusion of the spaces $X_k = C_c((-k,k))$ into $C_c(\mathbb{R})$, then we see that $f_n$ does not converge in this topology because there is no single $X_k$ which contains all the $f_n$.

As Jochen says in the comment, it is a general fact about strict inductive limits that any convergent sequence must be contained in one of the $X_k$ (where technically to make this a strict inductive limit I ought to replace the $X_k$ with their closures). Apparently it's due to Dieudonné and Schwartz but I think the proof is a fairly simple exercise once you see how to do it.

But we can also prove it more directly in the current case. Consider the set $U = \{ f : |f(x)| \le 1/|x|\}$. Clearly $U \cap X_k$ is a neighborhood of 0 in $X_k$ (since it contains the uniform ball of radius $1/k$ centered at 0), so by definition of the inductive limit, $U$ is a neighborhood of 0 in $X$. But clearly there are infinitely many $f_n$ that are not in $U$, so $f_n$ does not converge to 0 in $X$. You can similarly show that the sequence can't converge to any other $f \in C_c$ either.

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    $\begingroup$ ...because a theorem of Dieudonné and Schwartz says that in a strict induktive limit $X=\lim\limits_\to X_k$ of Fréchet spaces every convergent sequence is contained and converges in some "step" $X_k$. $\endgroup$ Commented May 1, 2020 at 10:41
  • $\begingroup$ Do you know where I can find this theorem?/ Have a reference? $\endgroup$
    – ABIM
    Commented May 3, 2020 at 9:13

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