Questions tagged [approximation-theory]
Approximation theory is concerned with how functions can best be approximated with simpler functions, and with quantitatively characterizing the errors introduced thereby.
599 questions
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Find weak approximation by smooth unit vector fields for Sobolev fields on manifold
I am considering the Sobolev space of unit tangent vector fields on a compact manifold:
$Γ_{W^{1,2}}(M, UTM)$.
I would like to approximate those weakly with smooth vector fields ($Γ_{C^∞}(M, UTM)$).
...
4
votes
1
answer
601
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Series expansion for gaussian-like function
I need a series expansion to describe a general gaussian-like (bell shaped) function. I couldn't find a rigorous definition of "bell shaped" online but in essence the function should have ...
1
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1
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Distribution of quadratic polynomials mod $n$ and $n^2$
Suppose $n$ is odd, then both equations $x^2 = D \; mod \;n$ and $x^2 = D \; mod \;n^2$ have the same number of solutions for fixed $D$ coprime to $n$. What can be said about the relationship between ...
0
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1
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Fast decaying Fourier coefficients for indicator function
Let $0 \leq a < b \leq 1$. I wanted to compute the Fourier series expansion of the indicator function $f = \chi_{[a, b]}$ of the interval $[a, b]$, as
$$
f(x) = \sum_{k\geq 0}a_k e(kx).
$$ My ...
0
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2
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Approximating exp(x) with a piecewise-linear function accurately
I am looking for the best way to approximate $\exp(x)$ on a finite domain $[0,M]$ with a piecewise-linear function. My initial approach is to take $K$ evenly-spaced segments from $0$ to $M$. For each ...
7
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3
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How to numerically compute $x \ln x$ and related functions near $0$?
I was recently trying to find a numerical solution to a thermodynamics problem and the expression $x\ln x$ appeared in one of the computations. I did not have to find its value very near $0$, so the ...
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Computing $\int^{4b}_0 {e^{-tx}\biggl(\frac{\sqrt{4bx-x^2}}{(2b-2c)^2+4cx}\biggr) dx}$
I am a PhD student working on complex analysis. After integrating over a keyhole contour to obtain the inverse of a particular Laplace transform, I ended up with the following integral:
$$\frac{1}{\pi}...
2
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124
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Almost periodic functions in weak mixing extension
In Theorem 3.4.6 of the 'Lecture notes on ergodic theory' by Jesse Peterson, it is shown that in a weak mixing extension, every almost periodic function is trivial. I have a doubt in the proof of this ...
2
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192
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Almost periodicity and approximation in tracial von Neumann algebra
Let $N$ be a von Neumann algebra with a faithful normal tracial state $\tau$. For a countable group $G$, let $\sigma: G\rightarrow \text{Aut}(N)$ be a $G$- action on $N$ which preserves the tracial ...
3
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Functions dense in $L^1[0,1]$ but not in $L^2[0,1]$
Is there a family of continuous functions $(f_n)_{n \in \mathbb{N}}$ on $[0,1]$ whose span is dense in $L^1[0,1]$ for the $L^1$-norm, but not dense in $L^2[0,1]$ for the $L^2$-norm?
Some preliminary ...
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Density of $\mathrm{span} \{ f(\cdot - n) : n \in \Bbb Z \}$ in $C(\mathbb R)$
I recently came across a survey paper by Allan Pinkus. This paper contains the following result:
Suppose that $g \in L^1(\mathbb R)$ has support in an interval of length at most $2\pi$. If $f=\hat g$ ...
5
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1
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Smooth, non-analytic functions of non-normal matrices
My apologies if this isn't a well-enough-posed question, I think I'm partly unsure of what exact question to even ask.
There are many different ways in which we can take a function of a matrix.
We ...
3
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Polynomial and rational approximation of continuous functions in $\mathbb{C}$
I am wondering what the state of the art is for polynomial and rational approximations to continuous/holomorphic functions in $\mathbb{C}$. The particular domains of interest are the closed unit ball $...
4
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Distance to finite degree polynomials for BV functions
A result of Jackson establishes for lipschitz functions $f\in\text{W}^{1,\infty}(0,1)$ the bound $$\inf_{p\in\mathbf{R}_n[x]} \|f-p\|_\infty\lesssim \frac{1}{n}\|f'\|_\infty,$$
where $\mathbf{R}_n[x]$ ...
3
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1
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Weierstrass-type approximation of a system of the form $\{ x \mapsto f(x)^{p_n} : n \in \mathbb N\}$
Let $(p_n)_{n \in \mathbb N} \subset (0,\infty)$ be a sequence of distinct positive numbers such that their series of reciprocals diverges. By the theorem of Müntz-Szasz the closure of the span of the ...
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Error estimates for orthogonal polynomial approximation
tl;dr: Are there explicit bounds for the approximation error by orthogonal polynomials?
There are various ways to formulate this question more precisely, so want I emphasize up front that this is a ...
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599
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Density of smooth function in Hilbert spaces
I am looking for a simple reference to the following fact:
If $f:\Omega\to\mathbb{R}$ is continuous, where $\Omega\subset H$ is an open subset of a separable Hilbert space $H$, then for any $\...
8
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Concave and other bounded functions: Series representation and converging polynomials
Main Question
Suppose $f:[0,1]\to[0,1]$ is continuous, polynomially bounded, and belongs to a large class of functions (for example, the $k$-th derivative, $k\ge 0$, is continuous, Lipschitz ...
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$\mathbb{P}_1$-finite element as convolution of $\mathbb{P}_0$-finite element
For a vector $\vec{u}\in\mathbb{R}^N$ let's denote $\pi_N\left(\vec{u}\right)$ the unique piecwise linear and $1$-periodic function matching the components of $\vec{u}$ on the discretization $x_k = \...
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1
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572
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Convexification of difference of convex functions
I am looking for a reference/a hint to the following problem:
We are given $f_1(x),f_2(x)$ convex functions (say, on $\mathbb R^d$) such that $f_1(x) \to\infty$ for $\|x\|\to\infty$. Also there is an $...
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1
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Minimum norm polynomial subject to equality constraints
I had asked this question in the math stackexchange about a year ago. I did not get any response, so I am asking it here.
Given distinct points $x_1,\dots,x_m \in [0,1]^n$ and real numbers $y_1,\dots,...
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Using the Lorentz operators to build polynomials that converge to a continuous function
Questions
Let $f(\lambda):[0,1]\to (0,1)$ have a $\beta-\lfloor\beta\rfloor$)-Hölder continuous $\lfloor\beta\rfloor$-th derivative, where $\beta>0$.
Find explicit bounds, with no hidden constants,...
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On $L^2$ spaces which have an orthogonal basis of characters (complex exponentials)
Suppose $\Omega \subset \mathbb{R}^n$. What conditions on $\Omega$ make it so there exists a countable set $\Lambda$ such that $\{e^{2\pi i\lambda t} \}_{\lambda \in \Lambda}$ form an orthogonal basis ...
4
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Walsh-Lebesgue type theorem in $\Bbb R^{2m}$ for $m>1$
Is someone aware of any analogue of the Walsh-Lebesgue theorem in $\mathbb{R}^{2m}$ for $m>1$ and dealing with polyharmonic polynomials?
In this post, $\phi$ is said to be polyharmonic in $\mathbb{...
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3
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769
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Determining polynomial approximations of piecewise constant functions
Let $t_1 < t_2 < \cdots <t_m$ be real, and $X = \cup_{i=1}^{m-1} (t_i, t_{i+1})$ be a union of real open intervals. Let $f:X \rightarrow \{-1, 1\}$ be any piecewise constant function of form
...
1
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1
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Integrating a B-Spline basis function with respect to the standard normal PDF
I am looking for ways to evaluate exactly (i.e. analytically or semi-analytically) integrals of the type:
$$
\int_{-\infty}^{+\infty}B_{i}^k(u)e^{-\frac{(u-\mu)^2}{2\sigma^2}}du,
$$
where $B_i^k$ is a ...
5
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1
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253
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Smooth cut-off in homogeneous Besov space
Given a Littlewood-Paley decomposition
$$1 = \chi(\xi) + \sum_{j \geq 0}\varphi(2^{-j} \xi), \quad \xi \in \mathbb R^n$$
where $\chi$ is smooth, supported on a ball, and $\varphi$ is smooth, supported ...
1
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1
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134
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Approximating linear bounded operator on $L^2([a,b])$
I have the following problem: I'm given a linear bounded operator $P\in \mathcal{L}(L^2([a,b]))$, $a,b\in \mathbb{R}$ and I want to find a sequence of approximating linear bounded operators $(P_n)_{n\...
6
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1
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Best way to introduce B-splines?
I have the option of mentoring pure math undergrads in a topic lying within Approximation Theory and I really want to do $B$-splines. Mostly because I have recently found applications of them in my ...
2
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Approximating the lateral surface area of a generalized cylinder with arc lengths of cross section curves
Given a generalized cylinder1 whose axis is defined by $r(s) = (x(s), y(s), z(s))$, we want to derive a lower bound of the lateral surface area between the cross sections of $r(a)$ and $r(b)$, where $...
2
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1
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163
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Approximation of $C^1$-smooth equivariant maps by infinitely smooth ones
Let $M,N$ be smooth closed manifolds acted by a finite group $G$. Let $f\colon M\to N$ be a $C^1$-smooth $G$-equivariant map.
Is it true that for any $\varepsilon>0$ there exists a $C^\infty$-...
2
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1
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198
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Bounds for the beta CDF
This question is closely related to a previous question that I asked here:
An inequality involving the beta distribution
Let $a,b$ be strictly positive integers, and let $F_{a,b}(x)$ denote the CDF ...
8
votes
1
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Polynomial approximation for square root function with fast convergence and bounded coefficients
Let $\delta, \varepsilon \in (0,1)$. I am interested in a sequence $\{f_n\}$ of polynomial approximations of the square root function $x \to x^{1/2}$ on $[\delta,1]$, of the form
$$
f_n(x) = \sum_{i=0}...
5
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1
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563
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Upper bound an integral with exponential function
I am working on my research about approximation a function. I come up with the following integral. I run some simulations and saw that the integral would converge to zero as n goes to infinty. Here is ...
5
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0
answers
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Standard function spaces with the approximation property
A Banach space $\mathcal{X}$ is said to have the approximation property (AP) if, for every compact set $K \subset \mathcal{X}$, there is a sequence of finite rank operators $\{U_n : \mathcal{X} \to \...
1
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1
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Density and Fourier approximation
Let $\mathbb{T}$ denote the 1-d torus and $H^s(\mathbb{T})$ the Sobolev space of order $s\geq0$ of complex-valued functions on $\mathbb{T}$ with the identification $H^0 (\mathbb{T}) = L^2 (\mathbb{T})$...
3
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0
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161
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Chebyshev Equioscillation Theorem in presence of extra conditions
Let $P_\ell$ be polynomials of degree $\ell$. For $f \in C[0,1]$, define the minimax error $E_\ell(f) = \min_{p \in P_\ell} \max_{x \in [0,1]} |f(x) - p(x)|$. We know that for the above scenario the ...
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Approximating a subclass of $L^2(\mathbb{R})$ by Schwartz functions within similar subclass
It is well-known that real valued Schwartz functions on $\mathbb{R}_+$ $\mathcal{S}(\mathbb{R}_+)$ are dense in the set of square integrable functions on $\mathbb{R}_+$ $L^2(\mathbb{R}_+)$. We can ...
3
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Do higher-order splines with Lipschitz derivatives exist on finite sets?
Fix $k\in \mathbb{N}^+$ and let $E=(e_i,f_i)_{i=1}^I\subset \mathbb{R}^n\times \mathbb{R}^m$ be a non-empty finite set with $e_i\neq e_j$ whenever $i\neq j$.
If $n=m=1$ then it's easy to see that:
$$
...
5
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2
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592
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question about commutative diagram in category theory
I am reading the article
Maurice Auslander, Ragnar-Olaf Buchweitz, The homological theory of maximal Cohen-Macaulay approximations, Colloque en l'honneur de Pierre Samuel (Orsay 21-22 mai 1987), ...
4
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Covering number of smooth functions from $\mathbb{R}^d$ to $\mathbb{R}$
Let $(\mathcal{X},d)$ be a space of function $f: \mathbb{R}^d \to \mathbb{R}$ where $d=\| \cdot \|_\infty$ (i.e., $d(f)= \sup_{x\in \mathbb{R}^d} |f(x)|$ ).
Let $D_\alpha f= \frac{\partial^\alpha}{ \...
1
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0
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Bounds on coefficients $c_i$ of Chebyshev expansion $f(x) = \sum_{k=0}^{n} c_kT_k(x) : [-1,1] \mapsto [-1,1]$
Let $n$ be a given positive integer and let $f(x) = \sum_{k=0}^{n} c_kT_k(x)$, where $c_i \in \mathbb{R}$, $0 \leq i \leq n$. If
$|f(x)| \leq 1$, for $|x| \leq 1$, is it possible to get the maximum ...
9
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2
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420
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Maximum of the weighted binomial sum $2^{-r}\sum_{i=0}^r\binom{m}{i}$
Let $m$ be a positive integer and let $f_m(r)=2^{-r}\sum_{i=0}^r\binom{m}{i}$. Clearly $f_m(0)=f_m(m)=1$ and $f_{2r+1}(r)=2^{2r}$.
Conjecture: If $m>12$, then the maximum value of $f_m(r)$ for $r\...
2
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0
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211
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Best approximation of piecewise constant function by Lipschitz functions
Let $f=\sum_{n=1}^N k_n I_{E_n}$ where $E_n$ are Borel subsets of $\mathbb{R}^n$ and $k_n\in \mathbb{R}^m$ with non-negative entries, and let $\mu$ be a finite Borel measure on $\mathbb{R}^n$. What ...
0
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1
answer
128
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integral of fractional function
Let $a>2$ be a real variable. My objective is to find an approximation of the integral defined as
\begin{equation}
\int_b^{ + \infty } {\frac{x}{{1 + {x^a}}}}.
\end{equation}
Here $b$ is a ...
1
vote
0
answers
89
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Proximity operator of lower semi-continuous and convex functions pre-composed with norm
Let $\phi:(-\infty,\infty) \rightarrow (-\infty,\infty]$ be a some-where finite, lower semi-continuous, increasing, and convex function. It is easy to verify that the function $\Phi:\mathbb{R}^n\...
3
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0
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65
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How to find or approximate (e.g. using method of steepest descent ) integral?
Can you give any advice on how to find or approximate the following integral
$$
F(t,y) = \int_{0}^{y}\frac{i e^{-\frac{3 t^2 \left(x^2+1\right)}{2 \left(9 x^2+1\right)}-i \frac{4 t^2 x}{9 x^2+1}}}{\...
1
vote
0
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80
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Approximating the partial sum of remainders function
This is a question related to the one I posted here, but I have found some more interesting and general results and thought here might be a better place to ask.
Let $R_{k,N}$ denote the remainder of ...
5
votes
2
answers
338
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Approximation of analytic function by a fixed number of monomials
This question seems simple but I can't manage to disprove it. Let $N\in \mathbb{N}$. We know that by its analyticity that this precise linear combination of monomials
$
\sum_{n=0}^K \frac1{n!} x^n
$
...
0
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0
answers
84
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Can convex functions on product space be approximated by product of convex functions?
I am working on a problem where I need the following property that I guess should be true but I am not able to prove it.
I have a bounded convex function $F(x, y)$ on $X\times Y$ (Think of $X=Y=\...