Some characterizations of COTS with endpoints (Q500923)

Let \(X\) be a connected topological space, and let \(x\), \(a\) and \(b\) be three distinct points in \(X\). The point \(x\) \textit{separates} \(a\) and \(b\) if there is a clopen subset \(A\) of \(X-\{x\}\) (with the subspace topology) that contains \(a\) but does not contain \(b\). A connected space \(X\) is called a \textit{space with endpoints} if there exist \(a\) and \(b\) in \(X\) such that every \(x\) in \(X-\{a,b\}\) separates \(a\) and \(b\). A connected space \(X\) is a \textit{connected ordered topological space} (COTS) if for every three distinct points in \(X\), one separates the other two. A function from a space \(X\) to a space \(Y\) is defined to be a \textit{Darboux function} if the image of every connected subset of \(X\) is connected. The main theorem of the paper is: ``Let \(X\) be a connected space. Then \(X\) is a COTS with endpoints if(f) there is a one-one, Darboux function from \(X\) onto a space \(Y\) with endpoints.''