Copyright © 1996 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.
The number of complements of a topology on n points is at least 2n (except for some special cases)
Received 5 January 1994;
Abstract
We improve the results of Hartmanis (1958) and Schnare (1968,1969) by showing that, if n
4, then any topological space on n points (equivalently, any preordered set on n points) which is not in a certain short list has at least 2n complements. We have evaluated the exact number of complements of each of the topologies in the short list.






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σ=0 and τ
σ=1. For simplicity, we call any topology other than the discrete and the indiscrete a proper topology. Hartmanis showed in 1958 that any proper topology on a finite set of size at least 3 has at least two complements. Gaifman showed in 1961 that any proper topology on a countable set has at least two complements. In 1965, Steiner showed that any topology has a complement. The question of the number of distinct complements a topology on a set must possess was first raised by Berri in 1964 who asked if every proper topology on an infinite set must have at least two complements. In 1969, Schnare showed that any proper topology on a set of infinite cardinality κ has at least κ distinct complements and at most 22κ many distinct complements. By exhibiting examples of topologies on a set of cardinality κ which possess exactly κ complements, exactly 2κ complements and exactly 22κ complements, Schnare showed under the generalized continuum hypothesis that there are exactly three values for the number of complements of a topology on an infinite set. His paper is the origin of the present paper.





