Proposition 9.2.1. A compact metric space is sequentially compact.
Proof. Let $X$ be the space in question, and suppose that $\left(x_{n}\right)_{n=1}^{\infty}$ is a sequence of elements of $X$. We wish to find a convergent subsequence of this sequence.
For each natural number $n$, set $A_{n}:=\left\{x_{n}, x_{n+1}, x_{n+2}, \ldots\right\}$. Obviously, $A_{2} \supseteq A_{3} \supseteq \cdots$, and so $\overline{A_1} \supseteq \overline{A_2} \supseteq \overline{A_3} \supseteq \cdots$. Applying Lemma 9.2.2, we see that $\bigcap_{n=1}^{\infty} \overline{A_n}$ is nonempty.
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Let $a$ be a point in this intersection. We inductively construct a subsequence $\left(x_{n_{k}}\right)_{k=1}^{\infty}$ such that $d\left(x_{n_{k}}, a\right)<1 / k$ for all $k$; it is then clear that this subsequence converges (to $a$) and the proof will be complete. Suppose that $n_{1}, \ldots, n_{k}$ have already been constructed. Now $a$ lies in $\overline{A_{n_k+1}}$, that is to say the closure of the set $\left\{x_{n_{k}+1}, x_{n_{k}+2}, \ldots\right\}$. In particular, there is some element of this sequence at distance less than $1 /(k+1)$ from $a$, and we can take this to be our $x_{n_{k+1}}$.$\square$ |