# Math Help - If f: R^n --> R^m is continuous everywhere and S is bounded, then f(S) is bounded

1. ## If f: R^n --> R^m is continuous everywhere and S is bounded, then f(S) is bounded

I have a general idea on how to go about it; if $\{x_{n}\}$ is a sequence in $S$, then it has a subsequence $\{x_{n_{k}}\}$that converges to some $x\in \mathbb{R}^{n}$, and since $f$ is continuous there $\{f(x_{n_{k}})\}$ is a convergent sequence in $f(S)$, which means that sequence is bounded. Now I am not sure if I can conclude that $f(S)$ is bounded. If I can't, how would I go about proving that if a function is continuous everywhere and a set S, subset of $\mathbb{R}^{n}$, is bounded, then $f(S)$ is bounded? Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

2. Originally Posted by Pinkk
If f: R^n --> R^m is continuous everywhere and S is bounded, then f(S) is bounded

I have a general idea on how to go about it; if $\{x_{n}\}$ is a sequence in $S$, then it has a subsequence $\{x_{n_{k}}\}$that converges to some $x\in \mathbb{R}^{n}$, and since $f$ is continuous there $\{f(x_{n_{k}})\}$ is a convergent sequence in $f(S)$, which means that sequence is bounded. Now I am not sure if I can conclude that $f(S)$ is bounded. If I can't, how would I go about proving that if a function is continuous everywhere and a set S, subset of $\mathbb{R}^{n}$, is bounded, then $f(S)$ is bounded? Any help would be appreciated, thanks.
If S is bounded then S is a subset of a compact set K, and the image f(S) of S under the continuous map f is a subset of the compact set f(K), and thus bounded.

3. Originally Posted by Pinkk
I have a general idea on how to go about it; if $\{x_{n}\}$ is a sequence in $S$, then it has a subsequence $\{x_{n_{k}}\}$that converges to some $x\in \mathbb{R}^{n}$, and since $f$ is continuous there $\{f(x_{n_{k}})\}$ is a convergent sequence in $f(S)$, which means that sequence is bounded. Now I am not sure if I can conclude that $f(S)$ is bounded. If I can't, how would I go about proving that if a function is continuous everywhere and a set S, subset of $\mathbb{R}^{n}$, is bounded, then $f(S)$ is bounded? Any help would be appreciated, thanks.
Assume that f(S) is not bounded.
Then there is a sequence f(x_n) in f(S) which has no convergent subsequence.
According to your argument above this is impossible. Therefore f(S) must be bounded.