Bounded continuous functions Created 2026-10-07 Updated 2026-10-14
Bounded continuous functions on a topological space form a Banach space with the supremum norm. A uniform limit is continuous and bounded, proving completeness. This space differs from the bounded uniformly continuous functions: free-transport composition is jointly continuous in time and position, but need not be continuous in the global sup norm as time varies.
Consider the Volterra integral equationwhere is continuous, , , and the continuous kernel satisfies for , with . If , there is exactly one continuous solution on the whole half-line. It is bounded, and Picard iteration beginning at converges in supremum norm with contraction ratio at most .
For a proof, the integral of the kernel is at most . Thus maps the closed ball of radius in the Banach space of bounded continuous functions into itself, since . Factoring gives on this ball. The contraction mapping theorem gives its unique fixed point. A first-exit argument shows that every continuous solution, even one not initially assumed bounded, stays strictly inside the same ball: a first time with would contradict . Reapplying the estimate gives the strict global bound , so uniqueness is unrestricted within the continuous solution class. If , zero is the only solution by the Gronwall inequality on each finite interval.
Metric Tietze two-thirds approximation 2026-10-14
For a real function in the bounded continuous functions of norm on a closed subset of a metric space, separate its closed level sets and by . The distance to a set functions make continuous with the displayed bounds. Empty level sets are handled by the constants , or . Iterating on the residual yields a uniformly convergent continuous extension with no increase in the supremum norm.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2001 iii Paper 6 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Start with the approximate surjectivity with geometric correction argument. For a fixed , put . Choose successively so thatInduction gives and . The series is absolutely convergent in the Banach space , because the sum of its norms is bounded by the convergent geometric series . Write its sum as . The bounded linear operator commutes with this limit, while . ConsequentlyThe choices need not depend linearly on ; no bounded linear right inverse is being asserted.
For the bounded extension, use the restriction bounded linear operator on the Banach spaces of bounded continuous functions, each with its supremum norm. We will construct an approximation to any with . The two setsare disjoint closed sets in , since is closed. If both are nonempty, the distance to a set construction defines a continuous functionThe denominator is positive at every point: zero distance to a closed set means membership in that set. Thus , with on and on . On and , and also on the intervening range , this impliesIf only is empty take , if only is empty take , and if both are empty take ; the same bounds hold. For take . This proves the approximation hypothesis with and . Applying the argument above to yields an element of the bounded continuous functions with and . Restriction gives the reverse inequality, so the extension preserves the exact supremum norm:This proves the bounded metric-space case of the Tietze extension theorem rather than presupposing it.
For an arbitrary real continuous function on , let . Its values lie strictly between and , although its supremum norm can be . The bounded result supplies an extension with . Let , a closed set disjoint from . If is nonempty and is nonempty, putBoth factors are continuous functions; on and on . Off we have , and on we have , so everywhere. Therefore a real continuous extension isOn it equals . If is empty use ; if is empty simply take . This handles unbounded without requiring a uniform margin between and .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2001 iii Paper 6 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Let . Form the evaluation map into a product spaceThe cube is compact by Tychonoff's theorem and Hausdorff, so its closed subspace is a compact Hausdorff space. A completely regular Hausdorff space has enough continuous functions to separate points and closed sets. Consequently is injective and continuous, and is a topological embedding: given open, choose with and off ; the coordinate neighborhood pulls back to a neighborhood of inside . Identify with this dense embedded subspace. This constructs the Stone-Čech compactification.
Each extends as its coordinate function. Rescaling therefore extends every bounded real continuous function; real and imaginary parts extend bounded complex continuous functions. The extension is unique because is dense and the target is Hausdorff. Its supremum norm is unchanged by density, so restriction is an isometric isomorphism of normed spaces of Banach spacesThese are the space of continuous functions on a compact space and the space of bounded continuous functions, respectively.
More generally, embed a compact Hausdorff space in its own evaluation cube . This is an embedding by complete regularity, and its image is closed by compactness. For a continuous map , extend all the bounded coordinates to . The resulting continuous map into the cube takes its values in the closed copy of : it does so on the dense subset , and the inverse image of that closed copy is closed. ThusUniqueness again follows from density. This is the universal property of the Stone-Čech compactification. It implies uniqueness of the compactification up to a homeomorphism fixing , by extending the identity in both directions. Every Hausdorff compactification of is the image of under a continuous surjection fixing , since that image is compact and contains the dense copy of . A continuous map between completely regular Hausdorff spaces likewise extends uniquely to after composing with the embedding of ; these extensions preserve identities and composition. If is already compact, its dense copy is closed, so .
For discrete , every indicator , , is continuous. Its extension to takes only values , since this closed condition holds on the dense subset . Its one-set is precisely and is clopen: it is closed, and every neighborhood of one of its points meets by density and continuity. This also gives the discrete Stone-Čech compactifications are extremally disconnected property: for open , density implies , which is clopen.
For the requested separation, a compact Hausdorff space is normal, so Urysohn's lemma supplies with on and on . Put andThe preceding indicator argument makes both sets clopen. At a point of , the neighborhood has its dense -part inside , so the point lies in . At a point of , the neighborhood misses , so the point lies outside . We have proved the stronger clopen separation in discrete Stone-Čech compactifications conclusion
Finally take , the Stone-Čech compactification of the natural numbers. It is a compact Hausdorff space and is separable, because its embedded copy of is countable and dense. For every , the indicator extends to an element . For distinct , evaluating at an integer in their symmetric difference gives . There are uncountably many such indicators. A separable metric space cannot contain an uncountable family at pairwise distance one: disjoint balls of radius would require distinct members of a countable dense set. Hence is not separable, despite separability of .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 6 2 d Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Fix an arbitrary finite and use the Banach space of bounded continuous functions with the supremum norm. Set . For in this space, the velocity integralis bounded by . If , the integrands converge pointwise and are bounded by the integrable function . The dominated convergence theorem proves continuity. Thus the rank-one gain on bounded continuous functions, , is continuous and bounded. The same theorem applied to the time integral shows that maps this space into itself, including at .
Time ordering gives the factorial bound for a Volterra iterate:Consequently the Volterra series for the linear Boltzmann equationconverges uniformly on the whole finite time slab, so its sum is continuous and bounded and satisfies the fixed point equation. Tracking the damping factors gives the sharper pointwise bound . This proves existence for every finite , without requiring or uniform continuity of . Boundedness on finite slabs does not assert a uniform bound over infinite time.
A bounded continuous factor and an integrable factor give a bounded velocity-integral gain on bounded continuous functions, with bound . The dominated convergence theorem proves joint continuity of the velocity integral. Combined with damped transport, the factorial bound for a Volterra iterate proves existence on arbitrary finite time slabs.