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For $f\in H^1(\mathbb{R})$, its difference quotient equals $D_{h}f={\int }_0^1{f}^{\prime }(\cdot +\theta h)d\theta$ in L2 space. Thus $\Vert D_{h}f{\Vert }_2\le \Vert f^{\prime }{\Vert }_2$, and translation of a function gives $D_{h}f\to f^{\prime }$ in L2 space. Conversely, bounded difference quotients have a weakly convergent subsequence as $h\to 0$. Against a test function, $\int D_{h}fv\to -\int f{v}^{\prime }$, so that weak limit is the weak derivative of $f$. It lies in L2 space, which is precisely the first-order Sobolev space condition.

Multiplication by a test function is bounded on every real-index Sobolev space. Its Fourier transform acts by convolution with a Schwartz function; frequency-weight estimates and Young's convolution inequality give the norm bound.

A locally integrable real function is superharmonic in the distributional sense if its Laplacian is nonpositive on every nonnegative test function. Equivalently its negative is a subharmonic function. The canonical lower semicontinuous representative satisfies the reverse ball mean inequality. A function both subharmonic and superharmonic has zero distributional Laplacian and a smooth harmonic function representative by the Weyl lemma.

For $t>0$, the support of a distribution satisfiesThe duality formula $⟨{\delta }_{t}u,\phi ⟩=t^{-n}⟨u,\phi (\cdot /t)⟩$ proves one inclusion by transporting test functions; applying the inverse dilation proves the other. For a compact support, the Paley–Wiener–Schwartz theorem gives another proof: $\widehat{{\delta }_{t}u}(\zeta )=t^{-n}\hat{u}(\zeta /t)$ rescales the exponential growth indicator by $1/t$.

The support of a distribution is the complement of the largest open set on which its pairing vanishes for every supported test function. A partition of unity shows that the union of such open sets still has this vanishing property. For example, the Dirac delta distribution and all its derivatives have support $\{0\}$.

For distributions $u$ on ${\mathbb{R}}^m$ and $v$ on ${\mathbb{R}}^n$, their tensor product acts on a joint test function by $⟨u\otimes v,\Phi ⟩=⟨u_x,⟨v_y,\Phi (x,y)⟩⟩$. The inner function is smooth with compact support in the projection of $\mathrm{supp}\Phi$, and finite order of a distribution estimates prove continuity. Reversing the pairings gives the same value: finite sums of product kernels are dense in the required smooth seminorms, and the two orders agree on product kernels. Its support is contained in the Cartesian product of the two supports. This provides a rigorous replacement for formal integration in separate distribution variables.

For a test function $\varphi$ on $D$, let $f_{\varphi }=-2\pi {\Delta }^{-1}\varphi \in H_0^1(D)$. The pairingis a centered Gaussian random variable with variance

Completing the square in $S[q]=\frac{1}{2}qKq+Jq$ with $K=-{\partial }_t^2-m^2+iϵ$ gives the displayed source factor, where $G=K^{-1}$. In the frequency convention $e^{i\omega t}$, $\tilde{G}=({\omega }^2-m^2+iϵ{)}^{-1}$ and $G(t)=-i{e}^{-im|t|}/(2m)$ for $m>0$. The physical time-ordered oscillator quantum field theory propagator is $iG$. Sources are first taken as test functions so the pairings are defined.

For a partial differential equation $F(x,u,Du,D^{2}u)=0$ whose operator is nonincreasing in the Hessian variable, a continuous viscosity subsolution satisfies $F(x_0,u(x_0),D\varphi (x_0),D^2\varphi (x_0))\le 0$ whenever a smooth test function $\varphi$ touches it from above. A viscosity supersolution satisfies the reverse inequality for tests touching from below. A viscosity solution satisfies both conditions. For $F=-\mathrm{tr}{D}^{2}u$, these conditions are respectively $\Delta \varphi \ge 0$ and $\Delta \varphi \le 0$. They make sense even when $u$ has no classical second derivatives.

A sequence of distributions $u_j$ converges weakly to $u$ when $⟨u_j,\phi ⟩\to ⟨u,\phi ⟩$ for every test function $\phi$.

A locally integrable function $g$ is the $i$th weak derivative of $u$ whenfor every test function $\phi \in C_c^{\infty }(U)$. Thus a weak derivative is a distributional derivative that is represented by a locally integrable function.

A weak formulation multiplies a differential equation by a test function, integrates, and uses integration by parts to move derivatives away from the unknown function. Natural boundary conditions appear in the resulting boundary terms.

For continuous real coefficients with $p>0$ and $q,r\ge 0$ on a bounded interval, use the clamped second-order Sobolev space and the displayed bilinear form. A forcing in $L^2$ defines $\ell (v)=\int fv$. The weak solution satisfies $a(u,v)=\ell (v)$ for every clamped test vector. Compactly supported test functions give $(p{u}^{\prime \prime }{)}^{\prime \prime }-(q{u}^{\prime }{)}^{\prime }+ru=f$ as a distribution; density extends that equation to the energy space. Continuous coefficients alone do not justify differentiating them classically. The clamped interval derivative norm bound gives coercivity, so Lax-Milgram theorem supplies a unique solution and the quadratic energy has that unique minimum.

The weak gradient is the vector of first-order weak derivatives of a function. Its $i$th component is specified by $\int u{\partial }_i\phi =-\int ({\partial }_{i}u)\phi$ for compactly supported test functions. For a differentiable function with appropriate local integrability it agrees with the classical gradient.

An element $h\in H_{\mathrm{loc}}^1(U)$ is weakly harmonic on an open set $U$ when ${\int }_U\nabla h\cdot \nabla \varphi =0$ for every test function $\varphi \in C_c^{\infty }(U)$. This is the statement $\Delta h=0$ in distributions. It requires no regularity of the domain boundary. The Weyl lemma, a form of elliptic regularity, identifies such an element with a smooth harmonic function.

For the sign convention $Lu=D_i(a^{ij}{D}_{j}u)$, a weak subsolution satisfies $Lu\ge 0$ as a distribution, equivalently $\int a^{ij}{D}_{j}u{D}_i\varphi \le 0$ for every nonnegative compactly supported test function $\varphi$. A weak supersolution has the reversed inequality.

For $Lu=D_i(a^{ij}{D}_{j}u)$, a weak supersolution satisfies $Lu\le 0$ as a distribution, equivalently $\int a^{ij}{D}_{j}u{D}_i\varphi \ge 0$ for every nonnegative compactly supported test function $\varphi$. The Weak Harnack inequality applies to nonnegative weak supersolutions with this sign convention.