Definition:Neighborhood (Topology)/Set

Definition

Let $T = \left({S, \tau}\right)$ be a topological space.

Let $A \subseteq S$ be a subset of $S$.

A neighborhood of $A$, which can be denoted $N_A$, is any subset of $S$ containing an open set of $T$ which itself contains $A$.

That is:

$\exists U \in \tau: A \subseteq U \subseteq N_A \subseteq S$

Also defined as

Some authorities define a neighborhood of a set $A$ as what $\mathsf{Pr} \infty \mathsf{fWiki}$ defines as an open neighborhood:

$N_A$ is a neighborhood of $A$ if and only if $N_A$ is an open set of $T$ which itself contains $A$.

That is, in order to be a neighborhood of $A$ in $T$, $N_A$ must not only be a subset of $T$, but also be an open set of $T$.

However, this treatment is less common, and considered by many to be old-fashioned.

When the term neighborhood is used on this site, it is assumed to be not necessarily open unless so specified.

Linguistic Note

The UK English spelling of neighborhood is neighbourhood.