The spaces \(C_ p(X):\) decomposition into a countable union of bounded subspaces and completeness properties (Q1078848)

The two properties in the title are studied for \(C_ p(X)\), the space of continuous real-valued functions on a Tychonoff space X under the topology of pointwise convergence. A subset Y of a space X is bounded provided that for each \(f\in C_ p(X)\), \(f|_ Y\in C^*_ p(Y)\), where \(C^*_ p(Y)\) is the subspace of \(C_ p(Y)\) consisting of the bounded functions. A countable union of bounded subsets is called \(\sigma\)-bounded. The main theorem is that \(C^*_ p(X)\) is \(\sigma\)- bounded (equivalently, \(C_ p(X,I)\) is \(\sigma\)-bounded) iff every countable subset of X is discrete and \(C^*\)-embedded in X (this is called b-discrete). It follows that \(C_ p(X)\) is \(\sigma\)-bounded iff X is b-discrete and pseudocompact. The ''completeness'' properties of \(C_ p(X)\) which are studied are: pseudocompleteness and Baire spaces. For example, a proof is given that \(C_ p(X)\) is pseudocomplete iff every countable subset of X is C-embedded in X.