Minkowski functional ($p_U$)

For an absorbing convex set $U$ containing zero, its Minkowski functional is $p_U(x)=\inf \{t>0:x\in tU\}$. If $U$ is open and convex, then $p_U$ is sublinear and $U=\{x:p_U(x)<1\}$.

For a bounded convex open set $U$ containing zero and invariant under $x\mapsto -x$, its Minkowski functional is a norm. Inner and outer Euclidean balls give positive finite bounds; symmetry and scaling give absolute homogeneity; convexity gives the triangle inequality. Openness makes $U=\{p_U<1\}$, while boundedness prevents nonzero vectors from having zero gauge.