Newsgroups: sci.math
From: hsbrand@cs.vu.nl (HS Brandsma)
Subject: Re: Topology question (please help)
Date: Fri, 9 Feb 1996 09:48:37 GMT

Chih-Huei Wang (cwang@attila.stevens-tech.edu) wrote:
: Is it true that the complement of a compact subset of an
: infinite dimensional Banach space is contractible?
: If so, where can I look up a proof?

: Thanks in advance.

Look in Bessaga en Pelcsynki's book topics in 
infinite-dimensional topology.
There you'll find the proof that the complement of a 
sigma-compact set in such a space is homeomorphic 
to the original space, so in particular it is contractible

Henno Brandsma