Limits without epsilons (Q1194695)

The convergence structure of topological spaces, in particular of metric spaces, can be completely characterized in terms of a number of basic properties. In this paper the author shows that the convergence structure of the real number system \(\mathbb{R}\) characterized as an order complete totally ordered field can be characterized completely by means of the following six properties. If \(S\) denotes the set of all real sequences, a system \((A,S,\equiv))\) is called convergence system on \(S\) of \(A\subset S\) and \(\equiv\) is a binary relation on \(S\) satisfying the following properties: \(\text{A}_ 1\). If \(X\in A\) and \(k\in\mathbb{R}\), then \(kX\in A\); \(\text{A}_ 2\). If \(X,Y,Z,W,X+Z,Y+W\in A\) and \(X\equiv Y\), \(Z\equiv W\), then \(X+Y\equiv Y+W\); \(\text{A}_ 3\). If \(X=\{x_ n\}\), \(Y=\{y_ n\}\in A\) and \(Z=\{z_ n\}\in S\) and \((\forall_ n)\) \(x_ n<z_ n<y_ n\) and \(X\equiv Y\), then \(Z\in A\) and \(Z\equiv X\); \(\text{A}_ 4\). If \(X\in A\) and \(Y\), \(Z\) are subsequences of \(X\), then \(Y,Z\in A\) and \(Y\equiv Z\); \(\text{A}_ 5\). \(\{(-1)^ n\}\not\in A\); and \(\text{A}_ 6\). If \(X\not\in A\) and \(X\) is bounded, then \(X\) has two subsequences \(Y\), \(Z\) such that \(Y\not\equiv Z\). If \(C\) denotes the family of all convergent real sequences, then \((C,S,\equiv)\) is a convergence system on \(S\), where \(X\equiv Y\) means that \(X\) and \(Y\) are equivalent Cauchy sequences. The main theorem states that if \((A,S,\equiv)\) is a convergence system, then \(A=C\). The relative independence of the axioms is also discussed.