For a bounded real function, inserting partition points increases its lower Darboux sum and decreases its upper Darboux sum. This follows interval by interval because infima increase on smaller sets while suprema decrease, and the new widths sum to the original width. A common partition refinement consequently proves for arbitrary two partitions.
For a partition , put and
Boundedness makes these finite. The lower Darboux sum and upper Darboux sum are
Since and the widths are positive, .
Splitting a partition interval into smaller intervals can only increase each infimum and decrease each supremum. The smaller widths sum to the original width. Its new lower contribution is therefore at least its old lower contribution, and its new upper contribution at most its old upper contribution. Repeating this for every inserted point proves Darboux sum refinement monotonicity:
For arbitrary partitions, take their common partition refinement . Then
No compatibility of the original partitions is required.
Finally suppose is Riemann integrable. Then , so every product factor is nonnegative and the exponential inequality can be multiplied safely:
A lower Darboux sum is no greater than the Riemann integral, since the integral equals the supremum of all lower sums. Monotonicity of the exponential therefore gives the exponential bound for a lower-sum product
For a degenerate interval , the empty product and the exponential are both one.