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12 votes
1 answer
898 views

Converse to Banach’s fixed point theorem for ordered fields?

Suppose $R$ is an ordered field. Call a continuous map $f: R \rightarrow R$ a contraction if there exists $r < 1$ (in $R$) such that $|f(x)-f(y)| \leq r |x-y|$ for all $x,y \in R$ (where $|x| := \...
James Propp's user avatar
  • 19.7k
12 votes
4 answers
831 views

Relating the roots of polynomials to the solution sets of certain functional equations

Consider a functional equation of the following form: $$\sum_{k=0}^n a_k\,\underbrace{f(f(\cdots f}_{k}(x)\cdots )=0\quad \big(f:\,\mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{R},\;a_i\in \mathbb{R},\;\text{and}\;f^0=\text{...
ocg's user avatar
  • 453
12 votes
1 answer
858 views

Is this function concave?

Let $$h(u):=u^3 \left|\int_u^\infty \frac{e^{-i t}}{t^3} \, dt\right|$$ for $u>0$. Is the function $h$ concave on $(0,\infty)$? (For context, see Proposition 4.4.4 and formula (4.4.21) in this ...
Iosif Pinelis's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
676 views

Entropy arguments used by Jean Bourgain

My question comes from understanding a probabilistic inequality in Bourgain's paper on Erdős simiarilty problem: Construction of sets of positive measure not containing an affine image of a given ...
Tutukeainie's user avatar
11 votes
4 answers
4k views

When is the infimum of an arbitrary family of measurable functions also measurable?

Let $(X,\Sigma,\mu)$ be a measure space and consider a family of $\mu$-measurable functions $f_i:X \to \mathbb{R}$ for $i$ lying in some index set $I$. Define $$f(x) = \inf_{i \in I} f_i(x)$$ I think ...
Vidit Nanda's user avatar
  • 15.5k
11 votes
2 answers
2k views

Converse of mean value theorem almost everywhere?

Let $f: \mathbb R \to \mathbb R$ be a $C^1$ function. We say a point $c \in \mathbb R$ is a mean value point of $f$ if there exists an open interval $(a,b)$ containing $c$ such that $f’(c) = \frac{f(b)...
Nate River's user avatar
  • 6,213
11 votes
2 answers
425 views

Maximization of a cubic form over the $14$-dimensional sphere

For any integers $i$ and $j$ such as $1\le i<j\le6$, let $x_{ij}$ be a nonnegative real number. Is it true that, given the condition $$\sum_{1\le i<j\le6}x_{ij}^2=1,$$ the sum $$\sum_{1\le i<...
Iosif Pinelis's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
430 views

Cantor set intersecting a geometric sequence

I was working on a problem involving finding all points in the intersection of the Cantor set $C$ and the geometric sequence $\{ (2/3)^i \}_{i=1}^\infty$. The only points I have in this intersection ...
nflswsykimi's user avatar
11 votes
0 answers
320 views

Constructing an infinite chain of subsets of 'hyper' algebraic numbers?

This question is cross posted from MSE. Let $F$ be a subset of $\mathbb{R}$ and let $S_F$ denote the set of values which satisfy some generalized polynomial whose exponents and coefficients are ...
Mason's user avatar
  • 211
11 votes
1 answer
3k views

A sum of two binomial random variables

Let $p\in(0,1)$, $n$ a positive even integer, $k,l\in\{0,\dots,n\}$, and $X_k\sim \text{Binomial}(k,p)$, $Y_{n-k}\sim \text{Binomial}(n-k,1-p)$ independent random variables. I would like to prove that ...
Ron P's user avatar
  • 947
11 votes
1 answer
1k views

Proof of the "Neo-classical Inequality", a fractional extension of the binomial theorem

I came across the following inequality, dubbed the "Neoclassical Inequality" which holds uniformly in $p\geq 1$ and $n\in\mathbb N$: $$\frac{1}{p^2}\sum_{j=0}^n\frac{a^{\frac{j}p}b^{\frac{n-j}p}}{\...
Alex R.'s user avatar
  • 4,952
11 votes
2 answers
8k views

About the Fourier transform of the logarithm function

I want to calculate / simplify: $$\mathcal{F} (\ln(|x|)\mathcal{F(f)}(x))=\mathcal{F} (\ln(|x|)) \star f$$ where $\mathcal{F}$ is the Fourier transform ($\mathcal[f](\xi)=\int_{\mathbb R}f(x)e^{ix\...
Bertrand's user avatar
  • 1,199
11 votes
8 answers
3k views

Almost-converses to the AM-GM inequality

Let us consider the Arithmetic Mean -- Geometric Mean inequality for nonnegative real numbers: $$ GM := (a_1 a_2 \ldots a_n)^{1/n} \le \frac{1}{n} \left( a_1 + a_2 + \ldots + a_n \right) =: AM. $$ ...
Vincenzo's user avatar
  • 531
11 votes
1 answer
436 views

How many numbers $\le x$ can be factorized into three numbers which form the sides of a triangle?

Note: Posting in MO since it was unanswered in MSE Definition: We say that a natural number $n$ has triangular divisors if it has at least one triplet of divisors $n = d_1d_2d_3, 1 \le d_1 \le d_2 \...
Nilotpal Kanti Sinha's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
704 views

Examples of Baire Class $\xi+1$ but not $\xi$ functions for each countable ordinal $\xi.$

We say that $f:\mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{R}$ is of Baire Class $1$ if it is a pointwise limit of a sequence of continuous functions. One can generalize the definition above by taking pointwise limit of ...
Idonknow's user avatar
  • 623
10 votes
1 answer
539 views

Is $Q_n(x)=\sigma_{n+1}(x)/\sigma_n(x)$ logarithmically convex on $\mathbf{R}$?

In 1975 J. van de Lune considered the monotony properties of the canonical Riemann Upper and Lower sums for $\int_0^1 t^xdt$, with $x>0$. Writing $\sigma_n(x) := 1^x+2^x+\cdots+n^x$ these sums are ...
juan's user avatar
  • 7,024
10 votes
2 answers
9k views

When do maximum and expectation commute?

Hi, I'm looking for conditions on $G(t,x)$ such that $$ \sup\limits_{t\in [0,1]}E[G(t,X)]=E[\sup\limits_{t\in [0,1]}G(t,X)] $$ where $X$ is a random variable (it's easy to see that $\sup\limits_{t\in [...
martin's user avatar
  • 111
10 votes
1 answer
379 views

Does a monotone subadditive $f: \mathcal{P}(\bf N)\to [0,1]$ admit a finite partition with values in $(0,1)$?

A function $f\colon \mathcal{P}(\mathbf{N})\to [0,1]$ is said to have the Darboux property whenever for all $X \subseteq \mathbf{N}$ and $y \in [0,f(X)]$, there exists $Y \subseteq X$ such that $f(Y)=...
Paolo Leonetti's user avatar
10 votes
2 answers
1k views

On equibounded sequences in $L^\infty$

Let $f_n: [0, 1] \to \mathbb R$ be a sequence of positive functions in $L^\infty$ (hence a fortiori in $L^1$) that are equibounded in $L^\infty$ norm - that is $\sup_{n \in \mathbb N} \|f_n\|_{L_\...
Nate River's user avatar
  • 6,213
10 votes
2 answers
1k views

Can the integration of integrable sections of a measurable function of two variables ever result in a non-measurable function?

I spent some time searching MathOverflow for a problem that would resemble the one given below, but it turned out to be a rather futile endeavor. I was led to this problem in my attempts to construct ...
Transcendental's user avatar
10 votes
2 answers
1k views

Does Rolle's Theorem imply Dedekind completeness?

I think the answer to the title question is "yes", but Gerald Edgar, in his comment on Does antidifferentiability of continuous functions imply Dedekind completeness? , points out an article (actually ...
James Propp's user avatar
  • 19.7k
10 votes
2 answers
597 views

How to determine the asymptotics of $\sum_{n=0}^{\infty} e^{-\frac{2^n}{x}}$

I'm generally interested in being able to find an asymptotic expansion of $$ \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} \left[ e^{- \frac{f(n)}{x}} \right] $$ As $x \rightarrow \infty$ and $f(n)$ is a smooth monotonically ...
Sidharth Ghoshal's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
817 views

Can a nowhere locally Hölder function be differentiable almost everywhere?

Fix $0 < \alpha < 1$. Suppose $f$ is nowhere locally $\alpha$-Hölder continuous - that is, it is not $\alpha$-Hölder on any open subinterval of $\mathbb R$. Is it possible for $f$ to be ...
Nate River's user avatar
  • 6,213
10 votes
1 answer
2k views

Counting norms on an infinite dimensional vector space

It is known that whenever E is a finite dimensional real vector space, there is only one norm on E up to equivalence (actually one non discrete vector space topology). Is it known what happens when E ...
dionysos's user avatar
  • 101
10 votes
1 answer
700 views

Reference request: Riesz potential $I_\alpha : L^{d/\alpha} \to \rm{BMO}$?

Let us denote the Riesz potential in $\mathbb R^d$ by $$ I_\alpha (f)(x) := c_{d, \alpha} \int_{\mathbb R^d} \frac{f(y)}{|x-y|^{d-\alpha}} \, dy.$$ By the classical Hardy-Littlewood-Sobolev theorem ...
Juhana Siljander's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
594 views

Are the polynomials in $\{1/t\}$ dense in $L^2(0,1)$?

Added. My question in the title was solved (in the negative) by Nik Weaver (in the answer below) and Mateusz Kwaśnicki (in the comments). In both solutions, the reason is that the $L^2$ density fails ...
Vesselin Dimitrov's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
900 views

Approximation of a compactly supported function by Gaussians

Let $f:\mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{R}$ be a smooth function whose support is a closed interval, e.g. $\text{supp}(f)=[a,b]$. Then $f$ can be approximated (e.g. in $L^2$) by a linear combination of Gaussian ...
JohnA's user avatar
  • 710
10 votes
0 answers
172 views

Maximizing an integral w.r.t. a measure on the unit sphere

I would like to know if the answer to the following question is known. Let $d \ge 3$. What is the value of $$ \theta(d) := \max_{\mu} \int_{S^{d-1}} \int_{S^{d-1}} \cdots \int_{S^{d-1}} |x_1 \...
Romeo's user avatar
  • 980
10 votes
2 answers
666 views

Reference request: Extensions of Wiener's Tauberian Theorem

Wiener's Tauberian Theorem says that linear combinations of translations of a function $f$ are dense in $L^1(\mathbb{R})$ if and only if the zero set of the Fourier transform of $f$ is empty. This is ...
JohnA's user avatar
  • 710
10 votes
1 answer
1k views

Within ZFC, is $2^{\aleph_0}<2^{\aleph_1}$ provable/independent?

So, I ask whether from the ZFC axioms one can prove X that every uncountable set has strictly more than continuum many subsets, or whether X is independent of the ZFC axioms. Note that (within ZFC) ...
TaQ's user avatar
  • 3,584
10 votes
1 answer
385 views

When is this multiple integral finite?

Consider the following integral: $$ I_k(\alpha)=\int_{[0,1]^k}|x_1-x_2|^{\alpha}|x_2-x_3|^{\alpha}\ldots|x_{k-1}-x_k|^{\alpha}|x_k-x_1|^{\alpha}d\mathbf{x}. $$ where $k=2,3,4,\ldots$ The question is ...
Uchiha's user avatar
  • 87
10 votes
2 answers
766 views

When polynomial f(x^2) can be factored as g(x)·g(-x) ?

In relation to my question Expression for the sum of square roots of zeros of a polynomial How to characterize polynomials $f(x)$ with rational coefficients such that $f(x^2)=g(x)\cdot g(-x)$ where $...
Max Alekseyev's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
872 views

Current vs Varifold

I know the basic definitions concerning current and varifold, and they are generalization of submanifolds. What are their respective pros and cons? What are their crucial similarities and differences?
JSCB's user avatar
  • 1,630
9 votes
2 answers
2k views

Does the Weierstrass function have a point of increase?

Problem The Weierstrass function $W(x)$ is given by $W(x)=\sum_{n\geq 0} a^n \cos(b^n \pi x)$ where $0< a <1$ and $b$ is an odd integer such that $ab > 1+3\pi/2$. A function $f:\mathbb{R}\...
Bati's user avatar
  • 491
9 votes
0 answers
569 views

A standard name for a function satisfying the intermediate value theorem?

Do you know any (standard) name for a function $f:\mathbb R\to\mathbb R$ having the following weak intermediate value property: $(*)$ for any connected subset $C\subset \mathbb R$ and points $a,b\...
Taras Banakh's user avatar
  • 41.9k
9 votes
1 answer
652 views

Scaling in Mehta's integral

The following expression is known as Mehta's integral and deeply connected to random matrix theory: $$\frac{1}{(2\pi)^{n/2}}\int_{-\infty}^{\infty} \cdots \int_{-\infty}^{\infty} \prod_{i=1}^n e^{-...
Pritam Bemis's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
791 views

Asymptotic difference between a function and its "binomial average"

(I posted this question on Math.SE a few weeks ago. I got a few comments, but nothing definite, and so I thought I would try MO.) The origin of this question is the identity $$\sum_{k=0}^n \binom{n}{...
Mike Spivey's user avatar
  • 3,283
9 votes
4 answers
2k views

How may I find all continuous and bounded functions g with the following property?

Find all continuous and bounded functions $g$ with : $$\forall x \in \mathbb R, 4g(x)=g(x+1)+g(x-1)+g(x+\pi)+g(x-\pi).$$ I have posted this question here, but received no answer.
Dattier's user avatar
  • 4,074
9 votes
1 answer
3k views

Is every finite Borel measure on a locally compact Hausdorff, $\sigma$-compact and separable space automatically regular?

The conditions stated in the question seem mouthful and a bit arbitrary, so let me provide some backgrounds. Definition Let $\mu$ be a Borel measure on a topological space. We say: $\...
Stanley Chan's user avatar
9 votes
3 answers
2k views

Smallest root of a degree 3 polynomial

Is it true that the smallest root $t$ of the polynomial $$ 20 t^3 - 30 t^2 + (12 - 4 \cos^2 \alpha - 4 \cos^2 \beta - 4 \cos^2 \gamma) t + \cos^2 \alpha + \cos^2 \beta + \cos^2 \gamma - 2 \cos \alpha \...
Venus's user avatar
  • 171
9 votes
3 answers
934 views

local behavior of a finite Borel measure

Let $\mu$ be a finite Borel measure on $\mathbb{R}^n$. I am interested in how does $\mu(B(x,r))$ behave, where $B(x,r)$ is the open ball of radius $r$ centered at $x$. For instance, as far as I recall,...
gondolier's user avatar
  • 1,839
9 votes
2 answers
1k views

Is there a differentiable but nonsmooth version of the continuous Implicit Function Theorem?

From the result discussed in Does the inverse function theorem hold for everywhere differentiable maps? (which I'll call the differentiable nonsmooth Inverse Function Theorem) one can obtain a ...
Bruce Blackadar's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
2k views

Stokes theorem with corners

I've found the following version of Stokes' theorem in G. Stolzenberg's lecture notes 19: Notation: for $1 \le n \le m$ $\Lambda(m, n) = \{ \lambda: \{1,...,n\} \rightarrow \{1,...,m\} \ | \ \...
Jacobb's user avatar
  • 103
9 votes
2 answers
653 views

Is $\mathbb{Q}$ the orbit of a rational function under iteration?

In this previous post I asked for the smallest set of continuous real functions that could generate $\mathbb Q$ by iteration starting from $0$. Surprisingly one continuous function suffices. In the ...
Ivan Meir's user avatar
  • 4,862
9 votes
3 answers
657 views

Degree necessary of a polynomial?

Given $-1<a<b<0$, I want to find a polynomial $f(x)\in\Bbb R[x]$ such that $f(x)\in[a,b]$ at every $x\in[b^2,a^2]$ and $f(0)=0$. What is minimum degree that is needed and maximum degree that ...
Turbo's user avatar
  • 13.9k
9 votes
1 answer
845 views

Convergence of sequences formed by orthocenters, incenters, and centroids in repeated triangle constructions

I asked this question on MSE here. Given a scalene triangle $A_1B_1C_1$ , construct a triangle $A_{n+1}B_{n+1}C_{n+1}$ from the triangle $A_nB_nC_n$ where $A_{n+1}$ is the orthocenter of $A_nB_nC_n$, ...
pie's user avatar
  • 541
9 votes
1 answer
359 views

Relaxation of notion of positive definite function

A function $f:\mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{R}$ is called positive definite (in the semigroup sense) if for all $n\geq 1$ and $x_1,\ldots,x_n\in\mathbb{R}$ pairwise different the matrix $(f(x_i+x_j))_{i,j=1}^n$...
Hans's user avatar
  • 3,031
9 votes
1 answer
950 views

Sort-of converse of Kolmogorov zero-one theorem

Let $(\Omega, \mathscr F, \mathbb P)$ be a probability space. The Kolmogorov zero-one theorem states that Suppose we have independent random variables $X_1, X_2, ...$. Then $\forall \ A \in \bigcap_n ...
BCLC's user avatar
  • 247
9 votes
1 answer
918 views

A Besicovitch-type Covering Theorem

In the book The Geometry of Domains in Spaces by Krantz and Parks, the authors proved the weak $(1,1)$-type estimate of the maximal function $M_\mu f$, where $\mu$ is a Radon measure, using their ...
BigbearZzz's user avatar
  • 1,245
9 votes
1 answer
10k views

Can the supremum of continuous functions be discontinuous on a set of positive measure? [closed]

Given a sequence of continuous functions $f_n(x)$, all defined on a compact set $D$ and assuming $f_n(x)$ is uniformly bounded. Let $f(x) = sup_n f_n(x)$. It is clear that $f(x)$ is not necessarily ...
user18629's user avatar

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