Questions tagged [metric-spaces]
A metric space is a pair $(X,d)$, where $X$ is a set and $d:X \times X \to \mathbb{R}$ satisfies the following conditions for all $x,y,z \in X$. (Symmetry) $d(x,y)=d(y,x)$. (Identity of Indiscernibles) $d(x,y)=0$ if and only if $x=y$. (Triangle Inequality) $d(x,y)+d(y,z) \geq d(x,z)$.
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What happens if you strip everything but the “between” relation in metric spaces
Given a metric space $(X,d)$ and three points $x,y,z$ in $X$, say that $y$ is between $x$ and $z$ if $d(x,z) = d(x,y) + d(y,z)$, and write $[x,z]$ for the set of points between $x$ and $z$.
Obviously,...
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What is the structure preserved by strong equivalence of metrics?
Let $X$ be a set. Then we can define at least three equivalence relations on the set of metrics on $X$. We say that two metrics $d_1$ and $d_2$ are topologically equivalent if the identity maps $i:(...
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Is there a "universal" connected compact metric space?
Fact 1. The Cantor set $K$ is "universal" among nonempty compact metric spaces in the following sense: given any nonempty compact metric space $X$, there exists a continuous surjection $f\colon K \to ...
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Trigonometry / Euclidean Geometry for natural numbers?
Let $d(a,b) = 1 - \frac{2\gcd(a,b)^3}{ab(a+b)}$ be a metric on natural numbers without $0$.
The metric space $X = \{x_0,x_1,\cdots,x_n\},n>2$ is isometric embeddable in $\mathbb{R}^n$ if and only ...
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A funny metric over $\mathbb{N}$
$\DeclareMathOperator{\lcm}{lcm}$
Fiddling with numbers I realized that for positive integers $x$ and $y$, the quantity
$$\Vert x,y \Vert=\frac{\lcm(x,y)}{\gcd(x,y)}$$
has these properties:
$\Vert x,...
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When does a metric space have "infinite metric dimension"? (Definition of metric dimension)
Definition 1 A subset $B$ of a metric space $(M,d)$ is called a metric basis for $M$ if and only if $$[\forall b \in B,\,d(x,b)=d(y,b)] \implies x = y \,.$$
Definition 2 A metric space $(M,d)$ has &...
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A reinterpretation of the $abc$ - conjecture in terms of metric spaces?
I hope it is appropriate to ask this question here:
One formulation of the abc-conjecture is
$$ c < \text{rad}(abc)^2$$
where $\gcd(a,b)=1$ and $c=a+b$. This is equivalent to ($a,b$ being ...
user6671
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Is every elementary absolute geometry Euclidean or hyperbolic?
Absolute geometry is any one that satisfies Hilbert's axioms of plane geometry without the axiom of parallels. It is well-known that it is either the Euclidean or a hyperbolic plane. For an elementary ...
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If all balls at $x$ and $y$ are isometric is there an isometry sending $x$ to $y$?
Let $(X,d)$ be a metric space and $x,y \in X$. Assume that for all $r > 0$ the balls $B_r(x)$ and $B_r(y)$ are isometric.
Is it true that there exists an isometry of $X$ sending $x$ to $y$?
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reference for "X compact <=> C_b(X) separable" (X metric space)
I know (and am able to prove via Stone-Čech compactification) that the following is correct:
Theorem: A metric space is compact if and only if its space of bounded, continuous, real-valued ...
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How to compute the Gromov-Hausdorff distance between spheres $S_n$ and $S_m$?
Can we compute the Gromov-Hausdorff distance $d(\mathbb{S}_n,\mathbb{S}_m)$ for two different spheres $\mathbb{S}_n$ and $\mathbb{S}_m$, $m\neq n$? We consider the spheres with the metrics induced by ...
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Quotient of metric spaces
Let $(X,d)$ be a compact metric space and $\sim$ an equivalence relation on $X$ such that the quotient space $X/\sim$ is Hausdorff. It is well known that in this case the quotient is metrizable. My ...
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Metrics for lines in $\mathbb{R}^3$?
I seek a metric $d(\cdot,\cdot)$ between pairs of (infinite) lines in $\mathbb{R}^3$.
Let $s$ be the minimum distance between a pair of lines $L_1$ and $L_2$.
Ideally, I would like these properties:
...
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Hopping geodesics
Is there a complete metric space $X$ with the following property?
For any pair of points $p,q\in X$ there is unique minimizing geodesic $[pq]_X$ that connects $p$ to $q$, but the map $(p,q)\mapsto [...
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Which metric spaces have this superposition property?
Let $A \subset X$ and $B \subset X$ be two isometric subsets of a metric space $X$. So there is an isometry $f: A \to B$.
Say that a metric space $X$ has the superposition property (my terminology) ...
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Converse to Banach's fixed point theorem?
Let $(X,d)$ be a metric space. Banach's fixed point theorem states that if $X$ is complete, then every contraction map $f:X\to X$ has a unique fixed point. A contraction map is a continuous map for ...
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If all balls around two points are isometric... -- manifold version
This question is a natural follow-up of this other question, asked earlier today by wspin.
Let's say that a metric space $(X,d)$ has two poles if:
there are two distinct points $x$, $y$ such that ...
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Does there exist a ``continuous measure'' on a metric space?
Let $X$ be a separable complete metrizable space. Does there exist a complete metric $d$ and a Borel measure $\mu$ such that
(a)
$\mu(B_r(x))<\infty$ for every open ball $B_r(x)$ of radius $r>...
user1688
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A metric for Grassmannians
I'm reading an article by Ricardo Mañé, "The Hausdorff dimension of horseshoes of diffeomorphisms of surfaces" (https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02585431). I'm having a technical problem. Sorry for ...
user11178
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In infinite dimensions, is it possible that convergence of distances to a sequence always implies convergence of that sequence?
This is a cross-posted on MSE here.
Let $(X,d)$ be a metric space. Say that $x_n\in X$ is a P-sequence if $\lim_{n\rightarrow\infty}d(x_n,y)$ converges for every $y\in X.$ Say that $(X,d)$ is P-...
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Is the topology generated by this weaker notion of a metric necessarily metrisable?
The triangle inequality seems much stronger than necessary for a lot of analysis. So I will define a "loose metric" on a set $X$ to be a function $d \colon X \times X \to [0,\infty)$ with ...
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covering a separable metric space by small balls
Let $(X,d)$ be a separable metric space. Can $X$ always be covered by a sequence of balls $B(x_i,r_i) (i=1,2,\dots)$ s.t. radii $r_i$ tend to 0?
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Where does the Lebesgue differentiation theorem fail?
The Lebesgue differentiation theorem says that for certain metric spaces $X$ (see below), any Borel measure $\mu$ that is finite on bounded sets and any $f: X \rightarrow \mathbb{R}$ locally $\mu$-...
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In ZF, when is a disjoint union of metrizable spaces metrizable?
It is easy to see that the disjoint union $\bigsqcup_i X_i$ of a collection of
metric spaces is metrizable, simply by rescaling or chopping off
the individual metrics to have diameter at most one, and ...
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Baire Category Theorem for complete uniform spaces
The version of the Baire Category Theorem I have in mind is the statement that a countable intersection of dense open subsets of a complete metric space is dense. The question is: is it likewise ...
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Does existence of midpoints imply intrinsic?
It is well-known, that a complete metric space, where any two points have a midpoints ($\forall x,y~ \exists z:~d(x,z)=d(y,z)=\frac{d(x,y)}{2}$) is strictly intrinsic, in the sense that any $x,y$ can ...
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Is there an 'unnatural' topological construction of an algebraically closed field of positive characteristic?
It's well known that while there is a natural topological construction of a nearly algebraically closed field of characteristic $0$, algebraically closed fields of positive characteristic seemingly ...
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A generalization of metric spaces
Let $(L,<,+)$ be a structure such that (1) $<$ is a linear order of $L$, (2) $L$ has a least element 0, (3) $+$ is a binary function on $L$ that behaves like addition of positive real numbers, i....
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Measure of the support of a Borel probability on a metric space
Does the support of a Borel probability measure always have full measure in a metric space?
I know this is true for separable metric spaces, and locally compact metric spaces. Is it true in general?
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Smooth Urysohn's lemma on Fréchet spaces
Let $V$ be a Fréchet topological vector space.
Let $K_0$ and $K_1$ be two closed subsets which are disjoint.
I wish to show the existence of a Fréchet-smooth function $f:V\to [0,1]$
whose restriction ...
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metric on the space of real analytic functions
Hello,
this question may be simple but I couldn't find a reference.
Let $E$,$F$ be real Banach spaces and $\Omega\subset E$ be a bounded domain and let $C_b^{\omega}(\Omega,F)$ be the vector space of ...
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Euclidean tangent cone implies Riemannian manifold
It is known that given a Riemannian manifold, then the tangent cone (as a metric space) at any point $p$ is isometric to the tangent space at $p$, with the metric given by the metric tensor.
Is ...
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Is there a metric compactification that doesn't create new paths?
Every separable metric space $A$ has a metrizable compactification, i.e. a compact metrizable space $X$ for which $A$ embeds topologically as a dense subspace of $X$. There are many approaches to ...
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Modulus of Continuity
I originally posted this question on math.stackexchange (https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/83182/modulus-of-continuity-take-2), but it's been a few days and I haven't received any correct ...
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Does this metric have an official name? Lévy metric? Ky Fan metric?
Let $X$ and $Y$ be random variables taking values in a separable metric space $(S,d)$. The metric I have in mind is
$$\rho(X,Y) = \mathbb{E}[\min\{d(X,Y),1\}]$$
if $X$ and $Y$ take values in the a ...
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Covering number estimates for Hölder balls
Let $\alpha \in (0,1]$, $r>0$ and $L>0$, and positive intwgers $n$ and $m$. The Arzela-Ascoli Theorem guarantees that the set $X(\alpha,L,r)$ of $f:[-1,1]^n\rightarrow [-r,r]^m$ with $\alpha$-...
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Examples of metric spaces with measurable midpoints
Given a (separable complete) metric space $X=(X,d)$, let us say $X$ has the measurable (resp. continuous) midpoint property if there exists a measurable (resp. continuous) mapping $m:X \times X \to X$ ...
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Partition of unity without AC
Several existence theorems for partition of unity are known. For example (source),
Proposition 3.1. If $(X,\tau)$ is a paracompact topological space,
then for every open cover $\{U_i \subset X\}_{i \...
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Converse to Banach’s fixed point theorem for ordered fields?
Suppose $R$ is an ordered field. Call a continuous map $f: R \rightarrow R$ a contraction if there exists $r < 1$ (in $R$) such that $|f(x)-f(y)| \leq r |x-y|$ for all $x,y \in R$ (where $|x| := \...
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Is $\ell_p$ $(1<p<\infty)$ finitely isometrically distortable?
Let $Y$ be a Banach space isomorphic to $\ell_p$, $1<p<\infty$. Is it true that any finite subset of $\ell_p$ is isometric to some finite subset of $Y$?
It seems to me that it is an interesting ...
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Completely Metrizable Space and Baire Theorem
Is well know that completely metrizable spaces are Baire's spaces. Reciprocally, if $X$ is a Baire's metric space, then $X$ is completely metrizable?
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Balls in Lawvere metric spaces
Let $V$ be the monoidal category $[0,\infty)$ (as a poset) with $+$ and $0$. Lawvere shows that $V$-enriched categories are a more natural generalisation of the notion of a metric space (note no ...
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Is every Baire metric space a complete metric space in disguise?
I am currently giving lectures in real analysis and a student asked an interesting question I couldn't answer, so I'm posting it here:
Let's say that a metric space $X$ is Baire if every countable ...
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When do isometric actions exist?
Let $X$ be a metrizable topological space and $G$ be a locally compact group. Given a continuous (left) action of $G$ on $X$, is there a metric on $X$, compatible with the topology, for which the ...
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Universal sets in metric spaces
(I am cross-posting this from math.SE as it seems to be slightly over the top for that site.)
I saw in the class the theorem:
Suppose $X$ is a separable metric space, and $Y$ is a polish space (...
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Does a compact contractible metric space have a point that is fixed by all isometries?
Let $(X,d)$ be a compact and contractible metric space. Let $\operatorname{Isom}(X)=\{\phi\colon X\to X\}$ be its group of isometries.
Question: Is there a point $x\in X$ fixed by all $\phi\in\...
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Probability that a random distance function is metric
Take a random $n \times n$ nonnegative symmetric matrix $D$ with zero diagonal. What is the probability that it is an abstract distance matrix, i.e. satisfies $D_{xy}+D_{yz} \geq D_{xz}$ for all index ...
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Which points in the Samuel compactification of a metric space $X$ are limits of uniformly discrete subsets of $X$?
Given a metric space $(X.d)$ the Samuel compactification of $X$, written $sX$, is the unique compactification with the property that if $Y$ is an arbitrary compact Hausdorff space and $f:X\rightarrow ...
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Are packing-homogeneous spaces homogeneous?
Given a metric space (M,d) define the packing function P(x,R,r) to be the maximum number of non-intersecting balls of radius r with centers in the ball B(x,R). Let’s call M packing-homogeneous if the ...
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Two questions around the $abc$-conjecture
Let $d(a,b) = 1-\frac{2 \gcd(a,b)}{a+b}$, $d_{ABC}(a,b) = 1-\frac{2\gcd(a,b)^3}{ab(a+b)}$ be two metrics on natural numbers.
The abc-conjecture can be formulated using these two metrics as:
For ...
user6671