There is a normalization error in the PDF. With the printed unnormalized integral, testing a constant function equal to one would give a left side and a right side zero. Thus that formulation fails whenever .
Use instead the average . The Poincare-Wirtinger inequality, also called the Neumann-Poincare inequality, is
If no exists, subtract the average and normalize a violating sequence to obtain with , , and . This sequence is bounded in the Sobolev space . The Rellich-Kondrachov compactness theorem supplies a subsequence converging strongly in to .
For every compactly supported test function , integration by parts and these convergences give . Thus has zero weak gradient. The Sobolev function with zero weak gradient result and connectedness make constant. Strong convergence preserves its zero integral, so . It also preserves its norm one, a contradiction. This proves the correctly normalized Neumann-Poincare inequality.
The constant function is an admissible test for the Neumann Poisson problem. Its weak gradient is zero, so the weak identity immediately gives
This is necessary, and the preceding Hilbert-space construction proves sufficiency for . It is the balance condition corresponding to zero total boundary flux.
On a connected open set, a Sobolev space function with zero weak gradient is constant almost everywhere. Local mollification gives constant smooth representatives on interior balls; overlaps and connectedness identify their constants. Without connectedness, the constant may differ between components. This explains the constant ambiguity in a Neumann Poisson problem.