Guiding question:Should measure theory be learned before functional analysis or should it be the oth

cricafh

cricafh

Answered question

2022-05-20

Guiding question:Should measure theory be learned before functional analysis or should it be the other way around?
Perhaps there is no largely agreed upon answer to this so I'll ask:
More specific question: What connections are there between the two subjects that might make a person choose to study one before the next?
All feedback is appreciated.

Answer & Explanation

zwichtsu

zwichtsu

Beginner2022-05-21Added 9 answers

There appears to be a consensus that measure theory should be learned before functional analysis. Some evidence is presented below.

This book is meant as a text for a first year graduate course in analysis. Any standard course in undergraduate analysis will constitute sufficient preparation for its understanding, for instance, my Undergraduate Analysis. I assume that the reader is acquainted with notions of uniform convergence and the like.
In this third edition, I have reorganized the book by covering integration before functional analysis. Such a rearrangement fits the way courses are taught in all the places I know of. I have added a number of examples and exercises, as well as some material about integration on the real line (e.g. on Dirac sequence approximation and on Fourier analysis), and some material on functional analysis (e.g. the theory of the Gelfand transform in Chapter XVI). These upgrade previous exercises to sections in the text.
In a sense, the subject matter covers the same topics as elementary calculus, viz. linear algebra, differentiation and integration. This time, however, these subjects are treated in a manner suitable for the training of professionals, i.e. people who will use the tools in further investigations, be it in mathematics, or physics, or what have you.

Do you have a similar question?

Recalculate according to your conditions!

Ask your question.
Get an expert answer.

Let our experts help you. Answer in as fast as 15 minutes.

Didn't find what you were looking for?