Past exam of the functional Analysis and Banach and C*-Algebras course of the University of Oxford / 2010 / A / 1 / iii / Solution

The real Hahn-Banach separation theorem says that if $C$ is a nonempty open convex set in a real normed vector space and $y\notin C$, there is a nonzero continuous linear functional $g$ such that $g(y)\ge {\sup }_{z\in C}g(z)$.

Put $\delta =1-1/M\in (0,1)$. The prescribed set is open because it is a union of translates of an open ball, and it is convex because both summands are convex. If $\Vert y\Vert <1$ and $y\notin C$, Hahn-Banach separation gives a nonzero $g\in Y^{\ast }$ withThe displayed supremum is a sum of independent suprema; the symmetry of the unit balls identifies them with the respective operator norms. But $g(y)\le \Vert g\Vert \Vert y\Vert <\Vert g\Vert$, a contradiction. Hence $y=Tx+r$ for some $\Vert x\Vert \le 1$ and $\Vert r\Vert <\delta$.

To obtain the strict bound on $x$ required in the approximation hypothesis, choose $t<1$ sufficiently close to $1$. Then $\Vert tx\Vert <1$ andThus the approximation condition holds with exactly $\delta =1-1/M$. When $X$ is a Banach space, the preceding successive approximation for quotient operators proves $T$ is a quotient operator. Combining this with the Banach-space adjoint estimate proves