Editing Compactification (mathematics) (section)

{{short description|Embedding a topological space into a compact space as a dense subset}}
In [[mathematics]], in [[general topology]], '''compactification''' is the process or result of making a [[topological space]] into a [[compact space]].<ref>{{cite book | last=Munkres | first=James R. | author-link=James Munkres | title=Topology | edition=2nd | publisher=[[Prentice Hall]] | year=2000 | isbn=0-13-181629-2}}</ref> A compact space is a space in which every [[open cover]] of the space contains a finite subcover. The methods of compactification are various, but each is a way of controlling points from "going off to infinity" by in some way adding "points at infinity" or preventing such an "escape".