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The uniform convergence condition on a set $X$ isThe index $N$ is independent of $x$; this is stronger than pointwise convergence.

Fix $x_0\in \mathbb{R}$ and $ϵ>0$. Choose one $N$ such that $|f_N(x)-f(x)|<ϵ/3$ for every $x$. The continuity of $f_N$ at $x_0$ gives $\delta >0$ with $|f_N(x)-f_N(x_0)|<ϵ/3$ whenever $|x-x_0|<\delta$. The triangle inequality then givesSince $x_0$ was arbitrary, $\boxed{f\text{ is continuous on }\mathbb{R}}$, the uniform limit theorem. Continuity of each approximant need not be uniform continuity.

On continuous functions on the p-adic integers, define the forward difference operator and the Mahler coefficients byWriting $Sf(x)=f(x+1)$, the explicit iterate follows from ${\Delta }^n=(S-I{)}^n$. The ultrametric inequality and integral binomial coefficients imply $\Vert \Delta f{\Vert }_{\infty }\le \Vert f{\Vert }_{\infty }$ and $|a_n(f){|}_p\le \Vert f{\Vert }_{\infty }$, where the supremum norm is taken over ${\mathbb{Z}}_p$.

The Mahler theorem states that every such $f$ has a unique expansion with uniform convergenceConversely, every sequence in ${\mathbb{Q}}_p$ tending to zero yields a continuous function by this expansion. The binomial polynomials form an orthonormal expansion in the non-Archimedean sense: $\Vert f{\Vert }_{\infty }={\sup }_n|a_n(f){|}_p$.

Here is the requested proof under the permitted coefficient-decay assumption. For $n\ge 1$, the binomial polynomial $B_n(x)=x(x-1)\cdots (x-n+1)/n!$ is a continuous function on ${\mathbb{Z}}_p$. Its values on nonnegative integers are integral, and those integers are dense in the p-adic integers. Since ${\mathbb{Z}}_p$ is a closed set in ${\mathbb{Q}}_p$, $B_n({\mathbb{Z}}_p)\subseteq {\mathbb{Z}}_p$. Also $B_n(n)=1$, so $\Vert B_n{\Vert }_{\infty }=1$, including $B_0=1$.

If $a_n\to 0$, the ultrametric inequality gives the uniform tail boundCompleteness of ${\mathbb{Q}}_p$ gives a uniform limit $F$, and the uniform limit theorem makes $F$ continuous. At any nonnegative integer $m$, all $B_n(m)$ with $n>m$ vanish. Finite binomial inversion givessince the inner sum is $(1-1{)}^{m-j}$. Hence $F=f$ on a dense subset and therefore on all of ${\mathbb{Z}}_p$. The values at $m=0,1,2,\dots$ recover each coefficient recursively because $B_m(m)=1$; this proves uniqueness. The expansion bounds $\Vert f{\Vert }_{\infty }$ by $\sup |a_n{|}_p$, and the earlier coefficient inequality proves equality. This also proves the converse statement.

Although the problem allows us to assume decay, it can be established independently. By compactness and uniform continuity, approximate $f$ uniformly by $h$ constant on residue classes modulo $p^r$. On this finite-dimensional space, $S^{p^r}=I$ andThe matrix of ${\Delta }^{p^r}$ has entries divisible by $p$, so its operator norm is at most $p^{-1}$; consequently $\Vert {\Delta }^{j{p}^r+s}h{\Vert }_{\infty }\le p^{-j}\Vert h{\Vert }_{\infty }$ for $0\le s<p^r$. Thus $a_n(h)\to 0$. Since $|a_n(f)-a_n(h){|}_p\le \Vert f-h{\Vert }_{\infty }$, arbitrary uniform approximation proves automatic decay of Mahler coefficients.

For the last claim, construct the discrete antidifferentiation on the p-adic integersIts coefficient sequence is $0,a_0,a_1,\dots$, still tending to zero, so it is continuous. By Pascal's identity, $\Delta B_{n+1}=B_n$. The boundedness of $\Delta$ permits applying it to the uniform limit, giving $\Delta G=f$. For the stated linear map, invariance under translation by one now givesThus translation-invariant linear forms on p-adic continuous functions vanish:No continuity of $T$ has been assumed or used. In particular, one must not justify this by applying $T$ termwise to an infinite Mahler expansion; it is the existence of a continuous discrete antiderivative that makes the conclusion valid.

No. For each $x>0$, $e^{-nx}\to 0$, whereas $e^{-n0}=1$ for every $n$. The pointwise limit on $[0,1]$ is thereforeThis limit is not continuous at $0$. Since every $f_n(x)=e^{-nx}$ is continuous, the uniform limit theorem rules out uniform convergence. Directly, $|f_n(x)-f(x)|=e^{-nx}$ for $x>0$, whose supremum over $(0,1]$ is $1$ for every $n$.

A sequence of functions $f_n:A\to \mathbb{R}$ converges uniformly to $f$ when, for every $\epsilon >0$, there is an $N$ such thatfor every $x\in A$. Equivalently, $\Vert f_n-f{\Vert }_{\infty }\to 0$ in the supremum norm.

Yes. Fix $x_0\in A$ and $\epsilon >0$. Uniform convergence gives $N$ such that $|f_N(x)-f(x)|<\epsilon /3$ for every $x\in A$. Since the continuous function $f_N$ is continuous at $x_0$, there is a $\delta >0$ such that $|x-x_0|<\delta$ implies $|f_N(x)-f_N(x_0)|<\epsilon /3$. The triangle inequality then givesThis proves the uniform limit theorem: $f$ is continuous.

The Chebyshev polynomial identity $T_m(\cos \theta )=\cos (m\theta )$ implies $|T_m(x)|\le 1$ on $[-1,1]$. Since ${\sum }_i{\gamma }_i<\infty$, the Weierstrass M-test shows thatconverges uniformly on $[-1,1]$. Every partial sum is continuous, so the uniform limit theorem makes $f$ a well-defined continuous function.

LetThen $-1=x_0<x_1<\cdots <x_{3^{n+1}}=1$. Since every $3^i$ is odd and, for $i\ge n+1$, $3^{i-n-1}$ is an odd integer,It follows thatThus the error has equal alternating extrema at $3^{n+1}+1$ ordered points. The Chebyshev alternation theorem shows that $P_n$ is a best uniform approximation among polynomials of degree at most $3^{n+1}-1$, and in particular

Now let $({\delta }_N)$ be the prescribed decreasing positive sequence. DefineThen $s_j$ decreases strictly to zero, so every ${\gamma }_j>0$, the series ${\sum }_j{\gamma }_j=s_0$ converges, andGiven $N\ge 1$, choose $j\ge 0$ with $3^j\le N\le 3^{j+1}-1$. Monotonicity of best-approximation errors and of ${\delta }_N$ givesHence this continuous $f$ satisfiesfor every polynomial $P$ of degree at most $N$. This is the polynomial form of Bernstein's lethargy theorem.

The polynomial Runge theorem says that if $K\subset \mathbb{C}$ is compact, $\mathbb{C}\setminus K$ is connected, and $f$ is holomorphic on a neighbourhood of $K$, then for every $\epsilon >0$ there is a polynomial $p$ such that ${\sup }_{z\in K}|p(z)-f(z)|<\epsilon$.

For an explicit approximation on the left semicircle $K=\{z:|z|=1,\mathrm{Re}z\le 0\}$, defineThe two power-series expansionsproduce this formula. The first is a geometric series whose ratio has modulus at most $4/\sqrt{17}<1$ on $K$. The second converges uniformly on the whole unit circle; the elementary bound $\left(\genfrac{}{}{0ex}{}{j+k}{k}\right)\le 2^{j+k}$ shows that truncating it at $k=n^2$ gives a total error tending to zero even after summing over $0\le j\le n$. Consequently $p_n\to 1/z$ uniformly on $K$. This is an explicit polynomial approximation of the reciprocal on the left semicircle.

No such sequence exists on the punctured unit circle $S=\{z:|z|=1,z\ne 1\}$. If polynomials $p_n$ converged uniformly there, they would be Uniformly Cauchy. Continuity givesso they would converge uniformly on the entire unit circle. The uniform limit theorem would force the value at the missing point to be $1$, and hence the limit would be $1/z$ on the full circle. But the Cauchy integral theorem gives $\oint p_n(z)dz=0$ for every $n$, while uniform convergence and contour integration would implya contradiction. This is the polynomial approximation obstruction on a punctured circle.