145 Neighborhood

A neighborhood is an open set containing a given point that is used to describe local behavior of a function near that point.

Definition (Neighborhood) A property of a subset \(N\) of a topological space \(X\) with respect to a point \(p \in X\), where the following condition applies:

  • There exists an open set \(U\) such that \(p \in U \subseteq N\).

where

  • \(X\) is a topological space.
  • \(p\) is a point in \(X\).
  • \(N\) is a subset of \(X\).
  • \(U\) is an open subset of \(X\).

145.1 Elementary Example

145.1.1 Simple

A neighborhood of a point contains an open set that contains that point.

\[ X = \{ 1,\ 2,\ 3 \} \]

\[ \tau = \{ \emptyset,\ \{1\},\ \{1,2\},\ X \} \]

\[ p = 1,\quad U = \{1\},\quad N = \{1,2\} \]

\[ p \in U \subseteq N,\quad U \in \tau \]

where

  • \(p\) is the point.
  • \(U\) is an open set.
  • \(N\) is a neighborhood of \(p\).

145.1.2 General

On four points, two different neighborhoods of the same point.

\[ X = \{ a,\ b,\ c,\ d \} \]

\[ \tau = \{ \emptyset,\ \{a\},\ \{a,b\},\ \{a,b,c\},\ X \} \]

\[ p = a,\quad N_{1} = \{a\},\quad N_{2} = \{a,b,c\} \]

where

  • both \(N_{1}\) and \(N_{2}\) are neighborhoods of \(a\).