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Maximum-minimum theorem

Theorem

(Maximum-Minimum Theorem). Let (X,d) be a metric space and let f:A be a continuous function with domain AX. For any compact set BA, f is bounded on B and attains its supremum and infimum on B. That is, f(x)M for some real number M< and there exist points x 0 and x 1 in B such that f(x 0)=inf xBf(x) and f(x 1)=sup xBf(x).

See Theorem 4.4.1 of Marsden and Hoffman (1993).

References

category: Mathematics, Analysis