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A minimizing sequence satisfies $E(u_n)\to \inf E$. Coercivity bounds an appropriate sublevel set, Compactness supplies a convergent subsequence, and sequential lower semicontinuity turns its limit into a global minimizer.

The direct method in the calculus of variations gives the following existence theorem. Suppose bounded sequences in the Banach space $\mathcal{U}$ have $\tau$-convergent subsequences, and $E$ is a proper extended-real function with coercivity and is $\tau$-sequentially lower semicontinuous. Then $E$ has a finite-valued global minimizer.

To prove this, properness makes $m=\inf E<+\infty$. First rule out $m=-\infty$: a sequence with $E(u_n)\to -\infty$ eventually lies in a fixed sublevel set, which is bounded by coercivity. A $\tau$-convergent subsequence would then have a limit $u$ with $E(u)\le -\infty$, contradicting the codomain. Hence $m$ is finite.

Choose a minimizing sequence with $E(u_n)\to m$. It eventually belongs to the bounded sublevel set $\{E\le m+1\}$. Extract $u_{n_j}\stackrel{\tau }{\to }\bar{u}$. By sequential lower semicontinuity,Thus $E(\bar{u})=m$. In particular, a reflexive Banach space with the weak topology supplies the required subsequence property by weak sequential compactness of bounded sequences in a reflexive Banach space. A strictly convex function has at most one minimizer; this is an additional property, not part of the existence theorem.