Iterated extrema of an array (${\sup }_m{\sup }_n{x}_{m,n}={\sup }_{m,n}{x}_{m,n}$)

For a nonempty bounded array of real numbers, taking the supremum of each row and then the supremum of those values gives the supremum of all entries. Every row supremum is bounded by the global supremum; conversely, every entry is bounded by the iterated supremum. The same argument with lower bounds proves ${\inf }_m{\inf }_n{x}_{m,n}={\inf }_{m,n}{x}_{m,n}$. Mixed infima and suprema satisfy the weak minimax inequality rather than an equality in general.

For a nonempty bounded array of real numbers, each column infimum is at most every row supremum, because ${\inf }_k{x}_{k,n}\le x_{m,n}\le {\sup }_j{x}_{m,j}$ for all $m,n$. Taking the supremum over columns and then the infimum over rows proves the displayed inequality. Equality need not hold: for $x_{m,n}=1_{\{m=n\}}$ on positive integer indices, every column infimum is zero and every row supremum is one. This elementary bound is the order-theoretic starting point for stronger minimax theorems with additional hypotheses.