A self-map of a nonempty compact metric space satisfying the displayed strict distance inequality has exactly one fixed point, although a uniform contraction constant need not exist. The inequality makes Lipschitz continuous with constant at most one, so is continuous and attains a minimum at . If , then , a contradiction. Two different fixed points contradict the same distance inequality.
For a strictly distance-decreasing map of a finite-dimensional Euclidean space, one bounded forward orbit suffices for existence of a fixed point. Its closure is compact by the Heine-Borel theorem and invariant by continuity, so strict distance decrease on a compact metric space applies. Strict distance decrease gives uniqueness throughout the whole space, not merely the orbit closure.
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