Pseudonormable Product Spaces

Question

I want to prove that a product $\prod_{i\in I}X_i$ of topological vector spaces is pseudonormable only if a finite number of the factor spaces are also pseudonormable and the rest have the trivial topology. Could anyone point me in the right direction?

Answer 1

I guess this is a simple combination of the following well-known facts:

1. A TVS $X$ is seminormable (or, as called above, pseudonormable) iff it is locally convex and has a bounded $0$-neighbourhood (i.e. absorbed by every other $0$-neighbourhood).

2. A set $B$ is bounded in a product space $\prod_i X_i$ with product topology iff $B=\prod_i B_i$ where each $B_i$ is bounded in $X_i$

3. If a TVS $X$ is bounded, its topology is the trivial topology (i.e. $\emptyset$ and $X$ are the only open sets).

So if $\prod_i X_i$ is seminormable, then there is a $0$-neighbourhood $B=\prod_i B_i$ where each $B_i$ is bounded in $X_i$ and hence for all but at most finitely many $i$ you have $B_i = X_i$.