Misplaced Pages

Rising sun lemma

Article snapshot taken from[REDACTED] with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
An illustration explaining why this lemma is called "Rising sun lemma".

In mathematical analysis, the rising sun lemma is a lemma due to Frigyes Riesz, used in the proof of the Hardy–Littlewood maximal theorem. The lemma was a precursor in one dimension of the Calderón–Zygmund lemma.

The lemma is stated as follows:

Suppose g is a real-valued continuous function on the interval and S is the set of x in such that there exists a y∈(x,b] with g(y) > g(x). (Note that b cannot be in S, though a may be.) Define E = S ∩ (a,b).
Then E is an open set, and it may be written as a countable union of disjoint intervals
E = k ( a k , b k ) {\displaystyle E=\bigcup _{k}(a_{k},b_{k})}
such that g(ak) = g(bk), unless ak = aS for some k, in which case g(a) < g(bk) for that one k. Furthermore, if x ∈ (ak,bk), then g(x) < g(bk).

The colorful name of the lemma comes from imagining the graph of the function g as a mountainous landscape, with the sun shining horizontally from the right. The set E consist of points that are in the shadow.

Proof

We need a lemma: Suppose [c,d) ⊂ S, but d ∉ S. Then g(c) < g(d). To prove this, suppose g(c) ≥ g(d). Then g achieves its maximum on at some point z < d. Since zS, there is a y in (z,b] with g(z) < g(y). If yd, then g would not reach its maximum on at z. Thus, y ∈ (d,b], and g(d) ≤ g(z) < g(y). This means that dS, which is a contradiction, thus establishing the lemma.

The set E is open, so it is composed of a countable union of disjoint intervals (ak,bk).

It follows immediately from the lemma that g(x) < g(bk) for x in (ak,bk). Since g is continuous, we must also have g(ak) ≤ g(bk).

If aka or aS, then akS, so g(ak) ≥ g(bk), for otherwise akS. Thus, g(ak) = g(bk) in these cases.

Finally, if ak = aS, the lemma tells us that g(a) < g(bk).

Notes

  1. Stein 1998
  2. See:

References

Categories:
Rising sun lemma Add topic