Pointwise => uniform convergence when?

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the conditions under which pointwise convergence of a sequence of functions implies uniform convergence. Participants explore the implications of boundedness and uniform continuity in this context, seeking examples and clarifications on the topic.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether pointwise convergence combined with boundedness or uniform continuity can lead to uniform convergence, asking for examples or proofs.
  • Another participant argues that having functions bounded does not assist with establishing uniform convergence and seeks clarification on the meaning of uniform continuity in this context.
  • A participant provides an example of a sequence of functions that converges pointwise but not uniformly, illustrating the concept with a specific function definition.
  • Another participant proposes a potential claim regarding continuous functions on a compact space, suggesting that if the sequence is uniformly continuous and converges pointwise, then the limit function is continuous and the convergence is uniform, while acknowledging uncertainty about the correctness of this claim.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on whether pointwise convergence implies uniform convergence under the discussed conditions. Multiple competing views and examples are presented, indicating ongoing debate and exploration of the topic.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty regarding the implications of uniform continuity and the specific conditions under which pointwise convergence may lead to uniform convergence. The examples provided highlight the complexity of the topic without resolving the underlying questions.

St41n
Messages
32
Reaction score
0
If we have that:
[tex]f_T \left( x \right) \to f\left( x \right)[/tex] for each x (pointwise convergence)
and also that:
[tex]f_T[/tex] and [tex]f[/tex] are bounded or/and uniformly continuous functions then can we show that there is also uniform convergence?
If no why not? Can you show it with an example?

In general, are there any cases where pointwise convergence implies uniform convergence? I can't find any proof on that. Can you guide me on this?

Thanks in advance
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
Having functions bounded doesn't help with uniform convergence at least.

It is not clear to me what you mean by uniform continuity. Do you mean that each [itex]f_T[/itex], with fixed T, is uniformly continuous so that the choice of [itex]\delta[/itex], with given [itex]\epsilon[/itex], doesn't depend on the point [itex]x[/itex]? If so, it doesn't help with the uniform convergence.

If you instead meant that the collection of all [itex]f_T[/itex] is uniformly continuous so that the choice of [itex]\delta[/itex] doesn't depend on T, then I'm not sure right now.
 
I actually meant the first thing you said.
So, there is no known way where pointwise implies uniform convergence?
 
First consider this example:

[tex] f_N:[0,1]\to\mathbb{R}, \quad f_N(x) = \left\{\begin{array}{ll}<br /> 1,\quad &\frac{1}{N^2} \leq x \leq \frac{1}{N}\\<br /> 0,\quad &0\leq x < \frac{1}{N^2}\;\textrm{or}\;\frac{1}{N} < x \leq 1\\<br /> \end{array}\right.[/tex]

Now [tex]\lim_{N\to \infty}f_N(x)\to 0[/tex] for all [tex]x\in [0,1][/tex], but [tex]f_N[/tex] do not converge to zero uniformly.

This was not an example with continuous functions, but it is easy to see that you can smoothen these functions a little bit so that each of them alone becomes uniformly continuous, and still the main effect remains the same. This way you get a sequence of continuous, and uniformly bounded functions, which converge towards a continuous function, but still the convergence is not uniform.
 
It could be that this kind of claim is right:

Let [tex]f_N:X\to Y[/tex] be a sequence of continuous functions between two metric spaces, of which [tex]X[/tex] is compact. If [tex]f_N\to f[/tex] pointwisely, and if the sequence is uniformly continuous so that for all [tex]\epsilon > 0[/tex] there exists a [tex]\delta > 0[/tex] such that

[tex] f_N(B(x,\delta))\subset B(f_N(x),\epsilon)\quad\forall x\in X,\; \forall N\in\mathbb{N},[/tex]

then also [tex]f[/tex] is continuous, and [tex]f_N\to f[/tex] uniformly.

(If that's not right, then it could be that something similar looking is still right)
 
jostpuur said:
First consider this example:

[tex] f_N:[0,1]\to\mathbb{R}, \quad f_N(x) = \left\{\begin{array}{ll}<br /> 1,\quad &\frac{1}{N^2} \leq x \leq \frac{1}{N}\\<br /> 0,\quad &0\leq x < \frac{1}{N^2}\;\textrm{or}\;\frac{1}{N} < x \leq 1\\<br /> \end{array}\right.[/tex]

Now [tex]\lim_{N\to \infty}f_N(x)\to 0[/tex] for all [tex]x\in [0,1][/tex], but [tex]f_N[/tex] do not converge to zero uniformly.

This was not an example with continuous functions, but it is easy to see that you can smoothen these functions a little bit so that each of them alone becomes uniformly continuous, and still the main effect remains the same. This way you get a sequence of continuous, and uniformly bounded functions, which converge towards a continuous function, but still the convergence is not uniform.

That's a nice example thank you, I see what you mean


jostpuur said:
It could be that this kind of claim is right:

Let [tex]f_N:X\to Y[/tex] be a sequence of continuous functions between two metric spaces, of which [tex]X[/tex] is compact. If [tex]f_N\to f[/tex] pointwisely, and if the sequence is uniformly continuous so that for all [tex]\epsilon > 0[/tex] there exists a [tex]\delta > 0[/tex] such that

[tex] f_N(B(x,\delta))\subset B(f_N(x),\epsilon)\quad\forall x\in X,\; \forall N\in\mathbb{N},[/tex]

then also [tex]f[/tex] is continuous, and [tex]f_N\to f[/tex] uniformly.

(If that's not right, then it could be that something similar looking is still right)

I will take a closer look at this and try to see if I can use it in my case and post any any questions I might have.
Thanks again
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
Replies
26
Views
3K
  • · Replies 22 ·
Replies
22
Views
4K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
7K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K