The metric projection for free knot splines (Q1201282)

Let \(C[a,b]\) be the space of all continuous real-valued functions \(f\) on \([a,b]\) with the supremum norm \(\| f\|=\sup_{t\in[a,b]}| f(t)|\), let points \(a=x_ 0<x_ 1<\cdots<x_ r<x_{r+1}=b\) and integers \(m_ 1,\dots,m_ r\in\{1,2,\dots,m+1\}\) be given, where \(m\geq 1\) and \(r\geq 1\). Let \(S_ m{x_ 1,\dots,x_ r\choose m_ 1,\dots,m_ r}\) denote the space of polynomial splines of degree \(m\) with \(r\) fixed knots \(x_ 1,\dots,x_ r\) of multiplicities \(m_ 1,\dots,m_ r\) and \(S_{m,k}\) the set of polynomial splines of degree \(m\) with \(k\) free (multiple) knots, where \(k\geq 1\). A spline \(S_ f\in S_{m,k}\) is called the best uniform approximation of \(f\in C[a,b]\) from \(S_{m,k}\) if \(\| f-s_ f\|=\inf_{s\in S_{m,k}}\| f-s\|\). The nonempty set of best uniform approximation of \(f\) from \(S_{m,k}\) is denoted by \(P_{S_{m,k}}(f)\), and the resulting set-valued mapping \(P_{S_{m,k}}: C[a,b]\to 2^{S_{m,k}}\) is called the metric projection onto \(S_{m,k}\). In this paper, a characterization of those functions in \(C[a,b]\) at which \(P_{S_{m,k}}\) is upper semicontinuous is given implying thereby that \(P_{S_{m,k}}\) is upper semicontinuous on \(C[a,b]\) if and only if \(k\leq m\). Moreover, it follows that \(P_{S_{m,k}}\) is upper semicontinuous on the set \(\{f\in C[a,b]: P_{S_{m,k}}\subset C[a,b]\) and \(P_{S_{m,k}}(f)\cap S_{m,k- 1}=\emptyset\}\). It is also shown that the metric projection is never lower semicontinuous.