# Analysis - Upper and Lower Bounds

1. Feb 24, 2014

### teme92

1. The problem statement, all variables and given/known data

Let E be a non-empty subset of the real numbers R. De fine carefully each of the terms
(i) 'y is an upper bound for E' and (ii) 'y is the least upper bound for E'

2. Relevant equations

3. The attempt at a solution

I've just started doing analysis and I'm unsure how I'm supposed to answer this. As its a definition I can't come up with any solution. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks everyone

2. Feb 24, 2014

### Ray Vickson

You will have go struggle with it---we are not allowed to answer for you. Are you using a textbook? Do you have course notes? Are you claiming that those sources contain nothing on the relevant topics?

3. Feb 24, 2014

### teme92

Hi Ray,

I understand what upper and lower bounds are its just the phrasing of the question that's confusing me. Can I say:

E={x ε R: x≥n & x≤m, n,m εR}

Y is upper bound if y≥n
Y is lower bound if y≤m

Thanks for the quick response and appreciate any further help.

4. Feb 24, 2014

### Ray Vickson

No, you have it backwards. The way you have written E, it must be the interval [n,m], but that was not given in the question. All you know is that $E \subset \mathbb{R}$. For example, E could be all the real numbers of the form $1-1/n, n = 1,2, \ldots$, and these certainly do not form an interval.

In the lines below, where you say "Y is upper bound if y≥n" etc, you do not say what is n.

5. Feb 24, 2014

### teme92

So do I just say:

i) yεF is an upper bound for E if x≤y whenever xεE

ii) yεF is a least upper bound if y is an upper bound for E and if y1εF and y1≤y then y1 is not an upper bound for E

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