For finite positive measures , put . The linear functional is bounded on real by the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality. The Riesz representation theorem gives a measurable with . Testing indicators of its negative and greater-than-one level sets shows almost everywhere. Subtraction gives . This constructs the densities without assuming the Radon-Nikodym theorem as a prior result.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 5 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Construct the densities using the Riesz representation theorem for a Hilbert space, rather than assuming the measure-decomposition conclusion. Put , a finite dominating measure, and work in the real L2 space . The linear functionalis well-defined on its equivalence classes because . By the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality,Thus the Riesz representation theorem supplies such that . Since is finite, is also integrable. Testing givesThe first identity and nonnegativity of rule out a positive-measure set where ; for example, test . The second identity and nonnegativity of similarly rule out . Modify a measurable representative on a -null set so that everywhere. This is the Hilbert-space construction of dominated measure densities.
SetThen and . The indicator identities for extend to integrals of nonnegative measurable functions by approximation with simple functions and the monotone convergence theorem. Consequently,and, for every ,HenceThis proves Lebesgue decomposition from a sum-measure density. The argument includes the cases of zero measures; there is no division on , where the denominator vanishes.
Absolute continuity of measures, written , means that implies for every . If , then in the construction above, so the singular term vanishes. Conversely, if with a nonnegative integrable , that integral is zero on every -null set. ThusThis is the finite-measure Radon-Nikodym theorem as a consequence of the proved construction.
Finally restrict the base measure to the sub-sigma-algebra . For a real , write , with both parts nonnegative and integrable. On define finite positive measuresThey are absolutely continuous with respect to . The result just proved gives nonnegative, -measurable densities satisfyingSet . Since , this is in , and subtraction givesFor complex , apply the real construction separately to its real and imaginary parts and combine the two results. This is conditional expectation from finite-measure densities. The resulting conditional expectation is unique almost everywhere: for two real versions, their difference has integral zero on its positive and negative level sets in , forcing it to vanish; apply this to both components in the complex case. No probability normalization of is required.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 4 22F ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Take . Its Fourier transform iswith value one at zero. It is bounded near zero and is at infinity, so is integrable for . ThereforeIf a continuous function agreed with this indicator almost everywhere, continuity would force it to equal zero on and one on : any violation has a nonempty open neighbourhood of positive measure. The one-sided limits at zero would then differ, a contradiction. Hence no continuous representative exists.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 358 2 a Solution 2026-09-28
A projection-valued measure on the Borel sets of is a map into the orthogonal projections on a separable Hilbert space such thatand for pairwise disjoint ,for every , with convergence in norm.
The spectral theorem for normal operators on a separable Hilbert space states that a bounded normal operator has a unique projection-valued measure supported on for whichMore generally, the Borel functional calculus for a normal operator is
For , the scalar spectral measures areIf is self-adjoint, its spectrum and hence the support of lie in . Moreover,so is a positive measure, andThe paper prints total mass ; with the standard definition it is , so the unsquared norm is a typographical error.