# How to prove that $L=\{w \mid \#a(w)=\#b(w)=\#c(w)\}$ is not context free using closure

How can I prove that the language $L = \{w \mid \#a(w)=\#b(w)=\#c(w)\}$ is not context free using closure?

EDIT :

I know that the language $L_1 = \{a^i b^i c^i \mid i\geq 0\}$ is not a context free language. Now I'm trying to find another language $L_2$, where $L_2$ would be a regular language, in order to make a contradiction, since if $L_1$ is context free and $L_2$ is a regular language, then $L_1 \cap L_2$ is also context free.

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$L_1$ is included in $L$: can you find a regular language $R$ so that $L_1=L\cap R$?
• $R$ needs to reject symbols other than $a,b,c$.
• $R$ needs to enforce the order between appearances of $a$, $b$ and $c$.
Exactly! (but I called it $R$ since you already defined $L$ to be the language of the original question) Now can you finish the proof? What would happen if $L$ was context-free? –  Generic Human Jun 13 '12 at 2:39
From here it's pretty simple , since L3={a*b*c*} is a regular language and L={w|#a(w)=#b(w)=#c(w)} is a context free language , then L1∩L3 would be also context free . But we know that L4 = {a^i b^i c^i | i>=0} = L1∩L3 is not context free , hence we have a contradiction . –  ron Jun 13 '12 at 2:51