A topological space is an ordered pair [Latex](X, \tau)[/latex], where [latex]X[/latex] is a set and [latex]\tau[/latex] is a collection of subsets of [latex]X[/latex], called open sets, satisfying three axioms: 1) The empty set [latex]\emptyset[/latex] and [latex]X[/latex] itself are in [latex]\tau[/latex]. 2) The union of any number of sets in [latex]\tau[/latex] is also in [latex]\tau[/latex]. 3) The intersection of any finite number of sets in [latex]\tau[/latex] is also in [latex]\tau[/latex].
