Open set

Basic subset of a topological space

In general topology and mathematical analysis, an open set is a generalization of an open interval in the real line. In a metric space (a set with a distance defined between every two points), an open set is a set that, with every point P in it, contains all points of the metric space that are sufficiently near to P (that is, all points whose distance to P is less than some value depending on P). More generally, an open set is a member of a given collection of subsets of a given set, a collection that has the property of containing every union of its members, every finite intersection of its members, the empty set, and the whole set itself.

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