[Math] How to find the norm of this bounded linear functional

analysisfunctional-analysisnormed-spacesoperator-theory

Let $C^\prime[a,b]$ denote the normed space of all continuously differentiable real (or complex) valued functions defined on the closed, bounded interval $[a,b]$ in $\mathbf{R}$ with the norm defined by $$||x||:= \max_{a \leq t \leq b} |x(t)| + \max_{a \leq t \leq b} |x^\prime(t)| $$ for all $x$ in $C^\prime[a,b]$, and let $f$ be the functional defined by $$f(x):=x^\prime(t_0)$$ for all $x$ in $C^\prime[a,b]$, where $t_0$ is an arbitrary but fixed point in $[a,b]$. Now $f$ is a bounded linear functional. How to compute the norm of $f$, and what is this norm?

Best Answer

Since for all $x\in C^1[a,b]$ we have $|f(x)|=|x'(t_0)|\leq \|x\|$ it follows that $\|f\|\leq1$.

In order to prove that in fact $\|f\|=1$ we may assume $a\leq0\leq b$ and $t_0=0$. Consider the functions $$x_n(t):={t\over 1 + n^2 t^2}\ .$$ Then $$x_n'(t)={1-n^2 t^2\over (1+n^2 t^2)^2}\ ,$$ and it is easy to see that $|x_n'(t)|\leq x_n'(0)=1$ for all $t\in\Bbb R$. Furthermore we can deduce that $|x(t)|$ takes its maximum value ${1\over 2n}$ at $t=\pm{1\over n}$. It follows that for sufficiently large $n$ we have $$\|x_n\|=1+{1\over 2n}\ ,$$ so that $f(x_n)=x_n'(0)=1$ implies $$\lim_{n\to\infty}{|f(x_n)|\over\|x_n\|}=1\ ,$$ as claimed.