TITLE: Closed set in $\ell^1$
QUESTION [5 upvotes]: Show that the set $$ B = \left\lbrace(x_n) \in \ell^1 : \sum_{n\geq 1} n|x_n|\leq 1\right\rbrace$$
  is compact in $\ell^1$.
  Hint: You can use without proof the diagonalization process to conclude that every bounded sequence $(x_n)\in \ell^\infty$ has a subsequence $(x_{n_k})$ that converges in each component, that is $\lim_{k\rightarrow\infty} (x_{n_k}^{(i)})$ exists for all i.
  Moreover, sequences in $\ell^1$ are obviously closed by the $\ell^1$-norm.

My try: Every bounded sequence $(x_n) \in \ell^\infty$ has a subsequence $(x_{n_k})$
that converges in each component. That is $\lim_{k\rightarrow\infty} (x_{n_k}^{(i)})$ exists for all i.  .And all sequences in $\ell^1$ are bounded in $\ell^1$-norm.
I want to show that every sequence $(x_n) \in B$, has an Cauchy subsequence.
Choose an N and M such that for $l,k > M$ such that $|x_{n_k}^{(i)} - x_{n_l}^{(i)}| < \frac{1}{N^2}$ Then 
$$\sum_i^N |x_{n_k}^{(i)} - x_{n_l}^{(i)}| + \sum_{i = N+1} ^\infty |x_{n_k}^{(i)} - x_{n_l}^{(i)}| \leqslant \frac{1}{N} + \frac{1}{N+1}  \sum_{i = N+1} ^\infty i|x_{n_k}^{(i)} - x_{n_l}^{(i)}| \leqslant \frac{3}{N+1}$$ 
It feels wrong to compine $M,N$ like this, is it? what can I do instead?

REPLY [2 votes]: To prove compactness of $B$ you can use the following theorem: 

A set $A \subseteq \ell_1$ is compact if and only if

$A$ is closed
$A$ is bounded
$\sup_{x \in A} \sum_{j \geq n} |x_j| \to 0$ as $n \to \infty$


How to prove these properties of $B$?

Let $X:= \{x \in \ell_1; \sum_j j \cdot |x_j|<\infty\}$. Define $$\|x\|_X := \sum_j j \cdot |x_j| \qquad (x \in X)$$ Then $(X,\|\cdot\|_X)$ is a normed space. Define $$T:X \to \ell_1, x=(x_j)_j \mapsto  (j \cdot x_j)_j $$ Then $T$ is linear, surjective and isometric (in particular continuous) and therefore we conclude that $B=T^{-1}(B[0,1])$ is closed as a pre-image of a closed subset.
Let $x=(x_n)_n \in B$, then $$\|x\|_1 = \sum_{n \geq 1} |x_n| \leq \sum_{n \geq 1} n \cdot |x_n| \leq 1$$ where we used the definition of $B$ in the last equation. Hence $$\sup_{x \in B} \|x\|_1 \leq 1$$ which means that $B$ is bounded.
Use the following estimate: For all $x=(x_n)_n \in B$ we have $$\sum_{j \geq n} |x_j| = \frac{1}{n} \sum_{j \geq n} n \cdot |x_j| \leq \frac{1}{n} \cdot \sum_{j \geq n} j \cdot |x_j| \leq \frac{1}{n}$$


I think you mess things up. You wrote

Every convergent sequence $(x_n) \in \ell^\infty$ has a convergent
  subsequence $(x^{n_k})$. That converges component wise.

It doesn't make sense at all: If you consider a convergent sequence $(x_n)_{n} \in \ell_\infty$, then it's trivial that there exists a convergent subsequence (since the whole sequence is convergent). Probably you wanted to consider a sequence of sequences, i.e $(x^n)_n \subseteq \ell_\infty$ (i.e. $x^n \in \ell_\infty$). Similar for the next sentence:

And all sequences in $\ell^1$ are bounded in $\ell^1$-norm.

If you take one (!) sequence $x:=(x_n)_{n} \in \ell^1$, then (by definition) $\|x\|_1 < \infty$. But: If you consider a sequence of sequences, i.e. $(x^n)_n \subseteq \ell_1$, then it's not trivial that the sequence (of sequences) is bounded, i.e.
$$\sup_n \|x^n\|_1 < \infty$$
You have to differentiate between

a sequence $x:=(x_n)_n$ which is an element of $\ell_1$, i.e. $\|x\|_1<\infty$
a sequence in $\ell_1$, i.e. $(x^n)_{n \in \mathbb{N}} \subseteq \ell_1$ where $x^n \in \ell_1$ for all $n \in \mathbb{N}$.