The University of Sydney

MATH 3901
Metric Spaces 2004
Tutorial 8
PROBLEM SET 8
1. Let X = (0, 1/4) with d the Euclidean metric and f : X X be given by
f(x) = x
2
. Prove that f is a contraction mapping and that f has no xed
point in X.
Solution.
For any x, y X, we have
d(f(x), f(y)| = |f(x) f(y)| = |x
2
y
2
|
= |x + y| |x y| (1/4 + 1/4)d(x, y) =
1
2
d(x, y),
and so f is a contraction mapping.
Now if f(x) = x, then x
2
= x which implies x = 0 or x = 1. But both 0 and 1
are not in X. Hence f has no xed point in X. Note that X is not complete
since it is not closed in R.
2. Let X = {x Q | x 1} with d the Euclidean metric and let f : X X be
dened by
f(x) =
x
2
+
1
x
.
Show that f is a contraction mapping and that f has no xed point in X.
Solution.
For any x, y X, we have
d(f(x), f(y)| = |f(x) f(y)| =

_
x
2
+
1
x
_

_
y
2
+
1
y
_

1
2

1
xy

|x y|
1
2
d(x, y),
since x 1 and y 1. Hence f is a contraction mapping.
Now, if f(x) = x, then
x
2
+
1
x
= x
so that x =

2. But

2 is not in X. Hence f has no xed point in X. [Again
note that X is not complete.]
2
3. Let X = [1, ) with d the Euclidean metric and let f : X X be given by
f(x) = x + 1/x. Show that, for any distinct x, y X,
d
_
f(x), f(y)
_
< d(x, y),
and that f has no xed point in X.
Solution.
For any distinct x, y X,
d
_
f(x), f(y)
_
= |f(x) f(y)| = |(x + 1/x) (y + 1/y)|
=

1
1
xy

|x y| < d(x, y),

since x 1 and y 1.
Now if f(x) = x, then x+1/x = x which implies 1/x = 0 which has no solution
in X. Hence f has no xed point in X.
4. Let X = [1, ) with d the Euclidean metric and let f : X X be given by
f(x) =
25
26
(x + 1/x).
Show that
d
_
f(x), f(y)
_

25
26
d(x, y),
[and so f is a contraction mapping] and by solving the equation algebraically,
show that 5 is the unique xed point of f.
Solution.
For any x, y X, we have
d
_
f(x), f(y)
_
= |f(x) f(y)| =

25
26
(x + 1/x)
25
26
(y + 1/y)

=
25
26

1
1
xy

|x y| <
25
26
d(x, y),
since x 1 and y 1. Hence f is a contraction mapping.
If f(x) = x, then
25
26
(x + 1/x) = x
which implies that x
2
= 25 and so x = 5 is the unique xed point of f in X.
3
5. Let X = [0, 1] with d the Euclidean metric and let f : X X be given by
f(x) =
1
7
(x
3
+ x
2
+ 1).
Show that
d
_
f(x), f(y)
_

5
7
d(x, y).
Calculate f(0), f
(2)
(0), f
(3)
(0), . . . , and hence nd, to three decimal places,
the xed point of f.
Solution.
For any x, y X, we see that
d
_
f(x), f(y)
_
= |f(x) f(y)| =

1
7
(x
3
+ x
2
+ 1)
1
7
(y
3
+ y
2
+ 1)

=
1
7
|(x
3
y
3
) + (x
2
y
2
)| =
1
7
|(x y)(x
2
+ xy + y
2
+ x + y)|

5
7
|x y| =
5
7
d(x, y),
since 0 x 1 and 0 y 1.
Using the calculator, one can compute that
f(0) = 0.142857, f
(2)
(0) = f(0.142857) = 0.1457767,
f
(3)
(0) = f(0.1457767) = 0.145897, .
Hence the xed point of f is x = 0.146, to three decimal places.
6. Let X = [1, 2] Q with d the Euclidean metric and let f : X X be the
mapping dened by
f(x) =
1
4
(x
2
2) + x.
Prove that f is a contraction mapping and that f has no xed point in X.
Solution.
For any x, y X, we have
d
_
f(x), f(y)
_
= |f(x) f(y)|
=

1
4
(x
2
2) + x +
1
4
(y
2
2) y

1
1
4
(x + y)

|x y|
1
2
d(x, y).
Hence f is a contraction mapping.
Now, if f(x) = x, then
1
4
(x
2
2) + x = x, which implies that x
2
= 2 so that
x =

2. But

2 is not in X, it follows that f has no xed point in X.
4
7. Let f : [a, b] [a, b] be dierentiable over [a, b]. Show that f is a contraction
mapping if and only if there exists a number K < 1 such that for all x (a, b),
|f

(x)| K.
Solution.
Suppose rst that f is a contraction mapping, i.e. that there exists K < 1 such
that
|f(x) f(y)| K|x y|,
for all x, y [a, b]. Then, in particular, for and x and x +x in [a, b], we have
|f(x + x) f(x)| K|(x + x) x| = K|x|.
Hence for x = 0,

f(x + x) f(x)
x

K,
and the limit of the left-hand expression as x 0 is also less than or equal to
K. But that limit is precisely |f

(x)|. Hence there exists K < 1 such that for

all x (a, b),
|f

(x)| K.
Conversely, asssume that for all x (a, b),
|f

(x)| K < 1.
Now for any x = y in [a, b], there is c between x and y such that
f(x) f(y)
x y
= f

(c).
But |f

(c)| K so that

f(x) f(y)
x y

= |f

(c)| K.
Hence, for all x, y [a, b],
|f(x) f(y)| K|x y|,
and so f is a contraction mapping.
5
8. Let X = C[0, 1] be the metric space with d given by
d(f, g) = sup
x[0, 1]
|f(x) g(x)|.
Dene F : X X by
{F(f)}(x) =
_
x
0
f(t) dt (f X).
Show that
(i ) {F(f)}(x) {F(g)}(x) xd(f, g),
(ii ) {F
(2)
(f)}(x) {F
(2)
(g)}(x)
x
2
2
d(f, g),
for all f, g X, and deduce that F
(2)
is a contraction mapping. Show, however,
that F is not a contraction mapping.
Solution.
(i ) We have
{F(f)}(x) {F(g)}(x) =
_
x
0
_
f(t) g(t)
_
dt

_
x
0
d(f, g) dt xd(f, g).
(ii ) We have
{F
(2)
(f)}(x) {F
(2)
(g)}(x) =
_
x
0
_
{F(f)}(t) {F(g)}(t)

dt

_
x
0
t d(f, g) dt =
x
2
2
d(f, g).
It follows that
d
_
F(f), F(g)
_
= sup
x[0, 1]
|{F(f)}(x) {F(g)}(x)|
sup
x[0, 1]
xd(f, g) d(f, g),
and
d
_
F
(2)
(f), F
(2)
(g)
_
= sup
x[0, 1]
|{F
(2)
(f)}(x) {F
(2)
(g)}(x)|
sup
x[0, 1]
x
2
2
d(f, g)
1
2
d(f, g).
Hence F
(2)
is a contraction mapping.
But F is not, since by taking f = 1 and g = 0, we have d
_
F(f), F(g)
_
=
sup
x[0,1]
x = 1 = d(f, g).
6
9. (Column sum criterion) Let X = R
n
with metric d
1
given by
d
1
(x, y) = |x
1
y
1
| +|x
2
y
2
| + +|x
n
y
n
|.
Show that instead of the condition (2.2) in Theorem 2.1, we obtain the condition
n

j=1
|c
jk
| < 1 (k = 1, 2, . . . , n).
Solution.
Recall that, if z = f(x), then
z
j
=
n

k=1
c
jk
x
k
+ b
j
.
Set w = (w
j
) = f(y), then we have
d
1
_
f(x), f(y)
_
= d(z, w) =
n

j=1
|z
j
w
j
|
=
n

j=1

k=1
c
jk
(x
k
y
k
)

_
max
k
n

j=1
|c
jk
|
_
n

k=1
|x
k
y
k
|
=
_
max
k
n

j=1
|c
jk
|
_
d
1
(x, y)
= K d
1
(x, y) ,
where
K = max
k
n

j=1
|c
jk
|.
We see that f is a contraction if K < 1. Hence we obtain the condition
n

j=1
|c
jk
| < 1 (k = 1, 2, . . . , n).
7
10. (Square sum criterion) Let X = R
n
with metric d
2
given by
d
2
(x, y) =
_
(x
1
y
1
)
2
+ (x
2
y
2
)
2
+ + (x
n
y
n
)
2
.
Show that instead of the condition (2.2) in Theorem 2.1, we obtain the condition
n

j=1
n

k=1
c
2
jk
< 1 .
Solution.
Recall that, if z = f(x), then
z
j
=
n

k=1
c
jk
x
k
+ b
j
.
Set w = (w
j
) = f(y), then we have
d
2
_
f(x), f(y)
_
= d(z, w) =
_
n

j=1
(z
j
w
j
)
2
_
1/2
=
_
n

j=1
_
n

k=1
c
jk
(x
k
y
k
)

2
_
1/2

_
n

j=1
_
n

k=1
c
2
jk
n

k=1
(x
k
y
k
)
2

_
1/2
(by Cauchys inequality)
=
_
n

j=1
n

k=1
c
2
jk
_
1/2
_
n

k=1
(x
k
y
k
)
2
_
1/2
=
_
n

j=1
n

k=1
c
2
jk
_
1/2
d
2
(x, y)
= K
1/2
d
2
(x, y) ,
where
K =
n

j=1
n

k=1
c
2
jk
.
We see that f is a contraction if K < 1. Hence we obtain the condition
n

j=1
n

k=1
c
2
jk
< 1 .