Functional Analysis

This subject is not offered in 2014.

3 contact hours and 7 hours private study per week.

Both of the following, or equivalent.

None

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements for this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

Functional analysis is a fundamental area of pure mathematics, with countless applications to the theory of differential equations, engineering, and physics.
The students will be exposed to the theory of Banach spaces, the concept of dual spaces, the weak-star topology, the Hahn-Banach theorem, the axiom of choice and Zorn's lemma, Krein-Milman, operators on Hilbert space, the Peter-Weyl theorem for compact topological groups, the spectral theorem for infinite dimensional normal operators, and connections with harmonic analysis.

After completing this subject, students will understand the fundamentals of functional analysis and the concepts associated with the dual of a linear space. They will also have an understanding of how these are used in mathematical applications in pure mathematics such as representation theory. They will have the ability to pursue further studies in this and related areas.

Up to 40 pages of written assignments (40%: two assignments worth 20% each, due mid and late in semester), a 3 hour written examination (60%, in the examination period).

G. Pedersen. Analysis Now. Springer, 1988.

R.J. Zimmer. Essential Results in Functional Analysis. Univ of Chicargo Press, 1990.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

In addition to learning specific skills that will assist students in their future careers in science, they will have the opportunity to develop generic skills that will assist them in any future career path. These include:

• problem-solving skills: the ability to engage with unfamiliar problems and identify relevant solution strategies;
• analytical skills: the ability to construct and express logical arguments and to work in abstract or general terms to increase the clarity and efficiency of analysis;
• collaborative skills: the ability to work in a team;
• time-management skills: the ability to meet regular deadlines while balancing competing commitments.