Complete metric space

In mathematics, completeness is a property ascribed to a metric space in which every Cauchy sequence in that space is convergent. In other words, every Cauchy sequence in the metric space tends in the limit to a point which is again an element of that space. Hence the metric space is, in a sense, "complete."

Formal definition

Let X be a metric space with metric d. Then X is complete if for every Cauchy sequence $x_{1},x_{2},\ldots \in X$ there is an associated element $x\in X$ such that $\mathop {\lim } _{n\rightarrow \infty }d(x_{n},x)=0$.

Examples

• The real numbers R, and more generally finite-dimensional Euclidean spaces, with the usual metric are complete.
• Any compact metric space is sequentially compact and hence complete. The converse does not hold: for example, R is complete but not compact.
• In a space with the discrete metric, the only Cauchy sequences are those which are constant from some point on. Hence any discrete metric space is complete.

Completion

Every metric space X has a completion ${\bar {X}}$ which is a complete metric space in which X is isometrically embedded as a dense subspace. The completion has a universal property.

Examples

• The real numbers R are the completion of the rational numbers Q with respect to the usual metric of absolute distance.

See also

• Banach space
• Hilbert space