Continuity Defined by Closure

Theorem
Let $T_1 = \struct {X_1, \tau_1}$ and $T_2 = \struct {X_2, \tau_2}$ be topological spaces.

Let $f: T_1 \to T_2$ be a mapping.

Then $f$ is continuous :
 * $\forall H \subseteq X_1: f \sqbrk {H^-} \subseteq \paren {f \sqbrk H}^-$

where $H^-$ denotes the closure of $H$ in $T_1$.

That is, the image of the closure is a subset of the closure of the image.

Proof
First we establish some details.

Let $H \subseteq X_1$.

Let $\mathbb K_1$ be defined as:
 * $\mathbb K_1 := \set {K \subseteq X_1: H \subseteq K, K \text { closed} }$

That is, let $\mathbb K_1$ be the set of all closed sets of $T_1$ which contain $H$.

Similarly, let $\mathbb K_2$ be defined as:
 * $\mathbb K_2 := \set {K \subseteq X_2: f \sqbrk H \subseteq K, K \text{ closed} }$

That is, let $\mathbb K_2$ be the set of all closed sets of $T_2$ which contain $f \sqbrk H$.

From the definition of closure, we have that:
 * $\displaystyle H^- = \bigcap \mathbb K_1$

That is, the closure of $H$ is the intersection of all the closed sets of $T_1$ which contain $H$.

Similarly:
 * $\displaystyle \paren {f \sqbrk H}^- = \bigcap \mathbb K_2$

That is, the closure of $f \sqbrk H$ is the intersection of all the closed sets of $T_2$ which contain $f \sqbrk H$.

We have:

From :
 * $H \subseteq K \implies f \sqbrk H \subseteq f \sqbrk K$

Necessary Condition
Suppose $f$ is continuous.

From the above we have that :
 * $\displaystyle \paren {f \sqbrk H}^- := \bigcap \mathbb K_2$

As $f$ is continuous, then:
 * $\forall K \in \mathbb K_2: f^{-1} \sqbrk K$ is closed in $T_1$

But as $f \sqbrk H \subseteq K$, it follows from that:
 * $H \subseteq f^{-1} \sqbrk K$

So:
 * $\mathbb K_3 := \set {f^{-1} \sqbrk K: K \text { closed in } T_2, H \subseteq f^{-1} \sqbrk K}$

consists entirely of closed sets in $T_1$ which are supersets of $H$.

That is, $\mathbb K_3 \subseteq \mathbb K_1$.

So:
 * $\displaystyle \bigcap \mathbb K_1 \subseteq \bigcap \mathbb K_3$

and so:
 * $\displaystyle f \sqbrk {\bigcap \mathbb K_1} \subseteq f \sqbrk {\bigcap \mathbb K_3}$

But from Image of Intersection under Mapping:
 * $\displaystyle f \sqbrk {\bigcap \mathbb K_3} \subseteq \bigcap_{K \mathop \in \mathbb K_3} f \sqbrk K$

But:
 * $\displaystyle \bigcap_{K \mathop \in \mathbb K_3} f \sqbrk K = \bigcap \mathbb K_2$

and so:
 * $\displaystyle f \sqbrk {\bigcap \mathbb K_1} \subseteq \bigcap \mathbb K_2$

which means that:
 * $f \sqbrk {H^-} \subseteq \paren {f \sqbrk H}^-$

as we wanted to show.

Sufficient Condition
Suppose $f$ is not continuous.

From Continuity Defined from Closed Sets, $\exists B \subseteq X_2$ which is closed in $T_2$ such that $f^{-1} \sqbrk B$ is not closed in $T_1$.

By Image of Preimage under Mapping, we have that:
 * $f \sqbrk {f^{-1} \sqbrk B} \subseteq B$

So from Topological Closure of Subset is Subset of Topological Closure:
 * $\paren {f \sqbrk {f^{-1} \sqbrk B} }^- \subseteq B^-$

From Closed Set Equals its Closure we have that $B^- = B$.

Transitively, we get:
 * $\paren {f \sqbrk {f^{-1} \sqbrk B} }^- \subseteq B$

Because $f^{-1} \sqbrk B$ is not closed in $T_1$, we have that:
 * $f^{-1} \sqbrk B \subsetneq \paren {f^{-1} \sqbrk B}^-$

This means there exists an element $x \in \paren {f^{-1} \sqbrk B}^-$ such that $x \notin f^{-1} \sqbrk B$.

Therefore $\map f x \notin B$, but $\map f x \in f \sqbrk {\sqbrk {f^{-1} \sqbrk B}^-}$.

From above, we had:
 * $\paren {f \sqbrk {f^{-1} \sqbrk B} }^- \subseteq B$

so there exists a set $A \subseteq X_1$, namely $A = f^{-1} \sqbrk B$, such that:
 * $f \sqbrk {A^-} \nsubseteq \paren {f \sqbrk A}^-$