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Mollifier
In mathematics, mollifiers (also known as ''approximations to the identity'') are particular smooth functions, used for example in distribution theory to create sequences of smooth functions approximating nonsmooth (generalized) functions, via convolution. Intuitively, given a (generalized) function, convolving it with a mollifier "mollifies" it, that is, its sharp features are smoothed, while still remaining close to the original. They are also known as Friedrichs mollifiers after Kurt Otto Friedrichs, who introduced them. Historical notes Mollifiers were introduced by Kurt Otto Friedrichs in his paper , which is considered a watershed in the modern theory of partial differential equations.See the commentary of Peter Lax on the paper in . The name of this mathematical object has a curious genesis, and Peter Lax tells the story in his commentary on that paper published in Friedrichs' "''Selecta''". According to him, at that time, the mathematician Donald Alexander Flan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Distribution (mathematics)
Distributions, also known as Schwartz distributions are a kind of generalized function in mathematical analysis. Distributions make it possible to derivative, differentiate functions whose derivatives do not exist in the classical sense. In particular, any locally integrable function has a distributional derivative. Distributions are widely used in the theory of partial differential equations, where it may be easier to establish the existence of distributional solutions (weak solutions) than Solution of a differential equation, classical solutions, or where appropriate classical solutions may not exist. Distributions are also important in physics and engineering where many problems naturally lead to differential equations whose solutions or initial conditions are singular, such as the Dirac delta function, Dirac delta function. A Function (mathematics), function f is normally thought of as on the in the function Domain (function), domain by "sending" a point x in the domain t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Support (mathematics)
In mathematics, the support of a real-valued function f is the subset of the function domain of elements that are not mapped to zero. If the domain of f is a topological space, then the support of f is instead defined as the smallest closed set containing all points not mapped to zero. This concept is used widely in mathematical analysis. Formulation Suppose that f : X \to \R is a real-valued function whose domain is an arbitrary set X. The of f, written \operatorname(f), is the set of points in X where f is non-zero: \operatorname(f) = \. The support of f is the smallest subset of X with the property that f is zero on the subset's complement. If f(x) = 0 for all but a finite number of points x \in X, then f is said to have . If the set X has an additional structure (for example, a topology), then the support of f is defined in an analogous way as the smallest subset of X of an appropriate type such that f vanishes in an appropriate sense on its complement. The notion of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Infinitely Differentiable Function
In mathematical analysis, the smoothness of a function is a property measured by the number of continuous derivatives (''differentiability class)'' it has over its domain. A function of class C^k is a function of smoothness at least ; that is, a function of class C^k is a function that has a th derivative that is continuous in its domain. A function of class C^\infty or C^\infty-function (pronounced C-infinity function) is an infinitely differentiable function, that is, a function that has derivatives of all orders (this implies that all these derivatives are continuous). Generally, the term smooth function refers to a C^-function. However, it may also mean "sufficiently differentiable" for the problem under consideration. Differentiability classes Differentiability class is a classification of functions according to the properties of their derivatives. It is a measure of the highest order of derivative that exists and is continuous for a function. Consider an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bump Function
In mathematical analysis, a bump function (also called a test function) is a function f : \Reals^n \to \Reals on a Euclidean space \Reals^n which is both smooth (in the sense of having continuous derivatives of all orders) and compactly supported. The set of all bump functions with domain \Reals^n forms a vector space, denoted \mathrm^\infty_0(\Reals^n) or \mathrm^\infty_\mathrm(\Reals^n). The dual space of this space endowed with a suitable topology is the space of distributions. Examples The function \Psi : \mathbb \to \mathbb given by \Psi(x) = \begin \exp\left( \frac\right), & \text , x, . In fact, by definition of support, we have that \operatorname(\Psi):=\overline =\overline, where the closure is taken with respect the Euclidean topology of the real line. The proof of smoothness follows along the same lines as for the related function discussed in the Non-analytic smooth function article. This function can be interpreted as the Gaussian function \exp\le ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sergei Sobolev
Prof Sergei Lvovich Sobolev, FRSE (; 6 October 1908 – 3 January 1989) was a Soviet Union, Soviet mathematician working in mathematical analysis and partial differential equations. Sobolev introduced notions that are now fundamental for several areas of mathematics. Sobolev spaces can be defined by some growth conditions on the Fourier transform. They and their embedding theorems are an important subject in functional analysis. Generalized functions (later known as distribution (mathematics), distributions) were first introduced by Sobolev in 1935 for weak solutions, and further developed by Laurent Schwartz. Sobolev abstracted the classical notion of derivative, differentiation, so expanding the range of application of the technique of Newton and Leibniz. The theory of Distribution (mathematics), distributions is considered now as the calculus of the modern epoch. Life He was born in Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg as the son of Lev Aleksandrovich Sobolev, a lawyer, and his w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kurt Otto Friedrichs
Kurt Otto Friedrichs (September 28, 1901 – December 31, 1982) was a German-American mathematician. He was the co-founder of the Courant Institute at New York University, and a recipient of the National Medal of Science. Biography Friedrichs was born in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein on September 28, 1901. His family soon moved to Düsseldorf, where he grew up. He attended several different universities in Germany studying the philosophical works of Heidegger and Husserl, but finally decided that mathematics was his real calling. During the 1920s, Friedrichs pursued this field in Göttingen, which had a renowned Mathematical Institute under the direction of Richard Courant. Courant became a close colleague and lifelong friend of Friedrichs. In 1931, Friedrichs became a full professor of mathematics at the Technische Hochschule in Braunschweig. In early February 1933, a few days after Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany, Friedrichs met and immediately fell in love with a young J ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Smooth Function
In mathematical analysis, the smoothness of a function is a property measured by the number of continuous derivatives (''differentiability class)'' it has over its domain. A function of class C^k is a function of smoothness at least ; that is, a function of class C^k is a function that has a th derivative that is continuous in its domain. A function of class C^\infty or C^\infty-function (pronounced C-infinity function) is an infinitely differentiable function, that is, a function that has derivatives of all orders (this implies that all these derivatives are continuous). Generally, the term smooth function refers to a C^-function. However, it may also mean "sufficiently differentiable" for the problem under consideration. Differentiability classes Differentiability class is a classification of functions according to the properties of their derivatives. It is a measure of the highest order of derivative that exists and is continuous for a function. Consider an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Approximate Identity
In mathematics, particularly in functional analysis and ring theory, an approximate identity is a net in a Banach algebra or ring (generally without an identity) that acts as a substitute for an identity element. Definition A right approximate identity in a Banach algebra ''A'' is a net \ such that for every element ''a'' of ''A'', \lim_\lVert ae_\lambda - a \rVert = 0. Similarly, a left approximate identity in a Banach algebra ''A'' is a net \ such that for every element ''a'' of ''A'', \lim_\lVert e_\lambda a - a \rVert = 0. An approximate identity is a net which is both a right approximate identity and a left approximate identity. C*-algebras For C*-algebras, a right (or left) approximate identity consisting of self-adjoint elements is the same as an approximate identity. The net of all positive elements in ''A'' of norm ≤ 1 with its natural order is an approximate identity for any C*-algebra. This is called the canonical approximate identity of a C*-algebra. Approx ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Banach Space
In mathematics, more specifically in functional analysis, a Banach space (, ) is a complete normed vector space. Thus, a Banach space is a vector space with a metric that allows the computation of vector length and distance between vectors and is complete in the sense that a Cauchy sequence of vectors always converges to a well-defined limit that is within the space. Banach spaces are named after the Polish mathematician Stefan Banach, who introduced this concept and studied it systematically in 1920–1922 along with Hans Hahn and Eduard Helly. Maurice René Fréchet was the first to use the term "Banach space" and Banach in turn then coined the term " Fréchet space". Banach spaces originally grew out of the study of function spaces by Hilbert, Fréchet, and Riesz earlier in the century. Banach spaces play a central role in functional analysis. In other areas of analysis, the spaces under study are often Banach spaces. Definition A Banach space is a complete nor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heat Eqn
In thermodynamics, heat is energy in transfer between a thermodynamic system and its surroundings by such mechanisms as thermal conduction, radiation, electromagnetic radiation, and friction, which are microscopic in nature, involving sub-atomic, atomic, or molecular particles, or small surface irregularities, as distinct from the macroscopic modes of energy transfer, which are Work (thermodynamics), thermodynamic work and transfer of matter. For a closed system (transfer of matter excluded), the heat involved in a process is the difference in internal energy between the final and initial states of a system, after subtracting the work done in the process. For a closed system, this is the formulation of the first law of thermodynamics. Calorimetry is measurement of quantity of energy transferred as heat by its effect on the states of interacting bodies, for example, by the amount of ice melted or by change in temperature of a body. In the International System of Units (SI), t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hilbert Space
In mathematics, a Hilbert space is a real number, real or complex number, complex inner product space that is also a complete metric space with respect to the metric induced by the inner product. It generalizes the notion of Euclidean space. The inner product allows lengths and angles to be defined. Furthermore, Complete metric space, completeness means that there are enough limit (mathematics), limits in the space to allow the techniques of calculus to be used. A Hilbert space is a special case of a Banach space. Hilbert spaces were studied beginning in the first decade of the 20th century by David Hilbert, Erhard Schmidt, and Frigyes Riesz. They are indispensable tools in the theories of partial differential equations, mathematical formulation of quantum mechanics, quantum mechanics, Fourier analysis (which includes applications to signal processing and heat transfer), and ergodic theory (which forms the mathematical underpinning of thermodynamics). John von Neumann coined the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
