Finite intersection property theorem

Compactness is equivalent to nonempty intersection for families of closed sets with the finite intersection property
Finite intersection property theorem

Finite intersection property theorem: Let XX be a and let KXK\subseteq X be given the . Then KK is if and only if for every family F\mathcal{F} of subsets of KK with the , one has FFF\bigcap_{F\in\mathcal{F}} F\neq\varnothing.

This is an alternative to the definition of compactness and is often the most convenient form for “compactness by contradiction.”