The nonexistence of almost continuous surjections between certain continua (Q869662)

A function \(f:X\to Y\) is said to be \textsl{almost continuous} if every neighbourhood of its graph \(\{(x,f(x)):x\in X\}\subseteq X\times Y\) contains a continuous function; \(f\) is said to be a \textsl{connectivity function} if for each connected subset \(C\subseteq X\), the graph of \(f| C\) is connected. Over 70 years ago, \textit{Z. Waraszkiewicz} [Fundam. Math. 22, 180--205 (1934; Zbl 0009.08602)] proved that there is no continuum (that is, compact connected metric space) which can be mapped continuously onto every other continuum. In fact, he constructed an uncountable family \(\mathcal W\) of planar continua such that no single continuum maps onto all elements of \(\mathcal W\). Strangely however, every nondegenerate continuum maps onto every element of \(\mathcal W\) under an almost continuous function. The aim of this paper is to extend the above mentioned result of Waraszkiewicz to almost continuous functions and to discuss similar problems involving connectivity functions. Typical of the main results are the following: (1) No continuum can be mapped by an almost continuous function onto every indecomposable continuum; (2) There is a continuum which is not an almost continuous image of any planar continuum; (3) There is an uncountable family of chainable continua, each with only two arc components, which is incomparable with respect to almost continuous functions (that is to say, no element of the family can be mapped onto any other element by an almost continuous function); (4) If \(X\) is a metric space which contains a free arc, then \(X\) can be mapped onto any non-empty connected separable metric space by a connectivity function. A number of open questions are posed.