I need to give an explicit bijection between (0,1] and [0,1] and I'm wondering if my bijection/proof is correct. Using the hint that was given, I constructed the following function f:(0,1]→[0,1]:
x↦{2−2−i−2−i−1−xif x∈(1−2−i,1−2−i−1] for an i∈N01if x=1
It's easy to see that for every x∈(0,1), there exists such an i.
Now define ˜f:[0,1]↦(0,1] with
x↦{2−2−i−2−i−1−xif x∈[1−2−i,1−2−i−1) for an i∈N01if x=1
I want to prove that ˜f(f(x))=f(˜f(x))=x, so it has an inverse and therefore is a bijection. The case x=1 is trivial, so assume that x∈(0,1) with x∈(1−2−i,1−2−i−1] for some i∈N0. This interval has length 1−2−i−1−(1−2−i)=2−i−1, so we can write x=1−2−i+ϵ⋅2−i−1 for some ϵ∈(0,1]. We now calculate f(x):
f(x)=2−2−i−2−i−1−x=2−2−i−2−i−1−(1−2−i+ϵ⋅2−i−1)=1−2−i−1(1+ϵ).
We conclude that f(x)∈[1−2−i,1−2−i−1). We now use the definition of ˜f, so if we calculate ˜f(f(x)), we get
˜f(f(x))=2−2−i−2−i−1−f(x)=2−2−i−2−i−1−(2−2−i−2−i−1−x)=x.
We conclude that f has an inverse. Using exactly the same reasoning, we get that f(˜f(x))=x for all x∈[0,1]. Therefore it's inverse exists and it has to be a bijection.
I know there are less cumbersome methods of proving this fact, but as of now this is the only thing I can come up with.
Answer
It seems fine to me, I think, although it's a complicated enough construction that I'm not totally convinced of my surety.
If you want an easier method, by the way: let f:(0,1]→[0,1] by the following construction. Order the rationals in (0,1] as q1,q2,…. Then define f(x) by "if x is irrational, let f(x)=x; otherwise, let f(qi)=qi−1, and let f(q1)=0". We basically select some countable subset, and prepend 0 to it. You can do this with any countable subset: it doesn't have to be, or be a subset of, Q∩(0,1]. If you prefer, for instance, you could take 1n as the qn.
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