The left shift is a bounded linear operator of operator norm one on the l-infinity sequence space. For , telescoping gives . This identity is useful in constructing a Banach limit.
For every bounded sequence , and . Linearity gives , as required. Thus the same satisfies all three conditions and is a Banach limit.
The usual positivity condition for a Banach limit follows automatically here. If and , then . Since , we have , whence . The case is immediate. This explains why the constructed bounded linear functional is also a positive linear functional extending the ordinary limit while remaining invariant under the left shift on bounded sequences.
We prove the required Hahn-Banach theorem for a seminorm directly. First suppose the vector space is real. At an intermediate extension stage, let be a linear functional with , and let . Extending to amounts to choosing . The upper domination requires
The interval is nonempty: for all ,
Its endpoints are finite since inserting zero gives bounds and , while every lower candidate is below every upper candidate. Choose in the interval and put . For , the upper bound with proves . For , writing and applying the lower bound with proves the same inequality. The case is already known. Applying this domination to and using gives .
Partially order all dominated linear functional extensions of the original by extension of their domains and values. They form a nonempty set. The union along any chain is a well-defined dominated linear functional on a vector subspace, so every chain has an upper bound. The Zorn lemma gives a maximal extension. If its domain were not , the preceding one-dimensional construction would enlarge it, a contradiction. Thus the required extension exists on .
For a complex vector space, apply the proved real result to on the underlying real vector subspace. Let be the resulting real linear functional, with , and set
It is additive and real-linear, and , so it is complex-linear. On , the identity proves . Choose with and when . Then
The bound is immediate if . This proves the real and complex seminorm forms of Hahn-Banach theorem without invoking any version of that theorem.
For the distance to a set assertion, let . Define on the linear functional . The decomposition is unique because , and for ,
For the bound is immediate. Apply the just-proved Hahn-Banach theorem with to get , , , and . Choose with . Since
and , passage to the limit gives . Thus . This version of the Hahn-Banach distance formula needs neither a closed nor an attained distance to a set.
For the Banach limit construction below, take the real l-infinity sequence space, let be its left shift on bounded sequences, put , and let . This is a vector subspace and its distance to a set from determines the construction.