If a measurable set has measure , then for the sets and lie in an interval of length , so
Thus . This quantitative overlap argument is a bounded form of the Steinhaus theorem.
Every Lebesgue-measurable additive function is continuous. Small-value preimages are measurable; one of their integer dilates has positive measure, so the Steinhaus theorem puts a neighbourhood of zero in their difference set. Additivity then makes small on that neighbourhood.
First intersect with a sufficiently large bounded interval to obtain a finite positive-measure set. By the Lebesgue density theorem, this set has a density-one point . Hence, for every , some sufficiently small interval centred at satisfies
which is the high-density interval in a positive-measure subset of the real line.
To obtain the final claim, choose , put , and translate into . Write
Part (f), after rescaling the interval length, gives
Thus contains an open interval around zero, which is the Steinhaus theorem.
For and , define their convolution by
It is bounded because
If , then
Continuity of translation in makes the right-hand side tend to zero with , uniformly in . Thus the convolution of L infinity and L1 functions is bounded and continuous.
Now let and . Then
At zero this equals . By continuity it remains positive throughout some open neighbourhood of zero. Positivity at means that some satisfies and , so . Hence
This is the Steinhaus theorem.
The conclusion also holds when . Since is the union of bounded balls, some measurable subset has finite positive measure. Its difference set lies inside and already contains a neighbourhood of zero.
For every positive integer , additivity gives . Hence
Conversely, if , write . Then
so . Thus
To prove continuity, fix and put
These sets are measurable and , so at least one has positive Lebesgue measure. Part (ii) gives , and therefore also has positive measure. By the Steinhaus theorem, contains an open neighbourhood of zero. Part (i) gives
This proves continuity at zero. Finally,
as , so is continuous at every . Thus every such map is an instance of the theorem that a measurable additive function is continuous.