Projection from Product Topology is Open

Theorem
Let $T_1 = \struct {S_1, \tau_1}$ and $T_2 = \struct {S_2, \tau_2}$ be topological spaces.

Let $T = \struct {T_1 \times T_2, \tau}$ be the product space of $T_1$ and $T_2$, where $\tau$ is the product topology on $S$.

Let $\pr_1: T \to T_1$ and $\pr_2: T \to T_2$ be the first and second projections from $T$ onto its factors.

Then both $\pr_1$ and $\pr_2$ are open.

Proof
Let $U \in \tau$.

It follows from the definition of product topology that $U$ can be expressed as:


 * $\ds U = \bigcup_{j \mathop \in J} \bigcap_{k \mathop = 1}^{n_j} \map {\pr_{i_{k,j} }^{-1}} { U_{k,j} }$

where $J$ is an arbitrary index set, $n_j \in \N$, $i_{k, j} \in \set {1, 2}$, and $U_{k, j} \in \tau_{i_{k, j} }$.

For all $i \in \set {1, 2}$, define $V_{i, k, j} \in \tau_i$ by:
 * $V_{i, k, j} = \begin {cases} U_{k, j} & : i = i_{k, j} \\ S_i & : i \ne i_{k, j} \end {cases}$

By definition of projection:
 * $\map {\pr_{i_{k, j} }^{-1} } {U_{k, j} } = \ds \prod_{i \mathop = 1}^2 V_{i, k, j}$

, we consider $\pr_1$.

We have:

As $\ds \bigcup_{j \mathop \in J} \bigcap_{k \mathop = 1}^{n_j} V_{1, k, j} \in \tau_1$, it follows that $\pr_1$ is open.

The proof for $\pr_2$ is the same, mutatis mutandis.

Also see

 * Projection from Product Topology is Continuous