# Math Help - retract in a topological space

1. ## retract in a topological space

If X is a topological space, what would be an example of a retract of X which is not closed?

I know that if X is Hausdorff, every retract of X must be closed. So I think we need to come up with a topological space X which is not Hausdorff.

[A C X is a retract of X if there exists a continuous map r:X-->A such that r(y)=y for each y in A].

2. Originally Posted by math8
If X is a topological space, what would be an example of a retract of X which is not closed?

I know that if X is Hausdorff, every retract of X must be closed. So I think we need to come up with a topological space X which is not Hausdorff.

[A C X is a retract of X if there exists a continuous map r:X-->A such that r(y)=y for each y in A].
Let T be a finite complement topology on $Z_+$. We know that $2Z_+$ is not closed in $(Z_+, T)$ (2 $Z_+$ is not finite in $Z_+$).

Let r be a function $r:Z_+ \rightarrow 2Z_+$ such that r(2i-1)=r(2i)=2i for each $i \in Z_+$. r is well-defined. For any closed subset A of $2Z_+$, $r^{-1}(A)$ is closed in $(Z_+, T)$. Thus r is continuous. We also have r(2i)=2i for each i in $Z_+$.

Thus, 2 $Z_+$ is a retract of $Z_+$, which is not closed in $(Z_+, T)$.