# closure, convex hull and closed convex hull

Is the closure of the convex hull of some set $A\subseteq\mathbb R^d$ equal to the convex hull of the closure of $A$, i.e. $$\text{cl}(\text{conv}(A))=\text{conv}(\text{cl}(A))?$$

If not, what are the general relations between them?

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How do you distinguish the first and last sets? –  copper.hat Nov 5 '12 at 16:32
Well, $\text{conv}(A) \subset \overline{\text{conv}}(A)$, hence $\text{cl}(\text{conv}(A)) \subset \overline{\text{conv}}(A)$ and $\text{cl}(\text{conv}(A))$ is closed and convex, hence we must have $\text{cl}(\text{conv}(A)) = \overline{\text{conv}}(A)$. –  copper.hat Nov 5 '12 at 16:37

No.

Let $A = \{(x,e^{-x})\}_{x\geq 0} \cup \{(x,-e^{-x})\}_{x\geq 0}$. Then $A$ is closed, and $\mathrm{co} A = (\{0\}\times [-1,1]) \cup ((0,\infty)\times (-1,1))$, which is not closed (take $(x_n,y_n) = (1, 1-\frac{1}{n})$).

Hence $\mathrm{co} A = \mathrm{co} \overline{A}$ is strictly contained in $\overline{\mathrm{co}} A = [0,\infty)\times [-1,1]$.

If $A$ is compact, the result is true (using, eg, Carathéodory's theorem).

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Your example is one, where $conv(cl(A))$ is stritly contained in $cl(conv(A))$. Do you know an example, where we have $cl(conv(A))$ is strictly contained in $conv(cl(A))$? –  Andy Teich Jun 11 '13 at 8:56
No. Since $A \subset \mathrm{co} A$, you have $\overline{A} \subset \overline{\mathrm{co}} A$. Since $\overline{\mathrm{co}} A$ is convex, we have $\mathrm{co} \overline{A} \subset \overline{\mathrm{co}} A$. –  copper.hat Jun 11 '13 at 15:52

Not necessarily. Let $$A=\Bigl\{(x,y) : y\geq {1\over 1+x^2}\Bigr\}$$ Then the closure of the convex hull is the closed upper half plane $\{(x,y) : y\geq 0\}$, but the convex hull of the closure is the open upper half plane $\{(x,y) : y > 0\}$.

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