Whitney estimates for convex domains with applications to multivariate piecewise polynomial approximation (Q1764399)

In the first part of the paper, the following Whitney estimate is proved. Given \(0 < p \leq \infty\), \(r \in {\mathbb N}\), and \(d \geq 1\), there exists a constant \(C(d,r,p)\), depending only on the three parameters, such that for every bounded convex domain \(\Omega \subset {\mathbb R}^d\), and each function \(f \in L_p(\Omega)\), \[ E_{r-1}(f,\Omega)_p \leq C(d,r,p)\, \omega_r(f,\text{diam}(\Omega))_p, \] where \(E_{r-1}(f,\Omega)_p\) is the degree of approximation by polynomials of total degree \(r-1\), and \(\omega_r(f,\cdot)_p\) is the modulus of smoothness of order \(r\). Estimates like this can be found in the literature but with constants that depend in an essential way on the geometry of the domain. The subject of the second part of the paper concerns multivariate skinny B-spaces. \textit{B. Karaivanov} and \textit{P. Petrushev} [Appl. Comput. Harmon. Anal 15, No.3, 177-223 (2003; Zbl 1032.41018)] introduced the bivariate skinny B-spaces and used them to give a characterization of \(n\)-term (nonlinear) approximations by piecewise polynomial functions from nested triangulations in \(L_p\), \(0 < p < \infty\), in two dimensions. The Whitney estimate proved in the first part of the paper allows the authors to extend these results of Karaivanov and Petrushev to arbitrary dimensions.