On fuzzy metric spaces (Q5895507)

This paper proposes a definition of a fuzzy metric space in which the distance between two points is a non-negative, upper semicontinuous, normal, convex fuzzy number. Here fuzzy numbers are as defined by \textit{D. Dubois} and \textit{H. Prade} [ibid. 2, 327-348 (1979; Zbl 0412.03035)]. The definition includes a version of the triangle inequality analogous to that of a Menger space [cf. \textit{B. Schweizer} and \textit{A. Sklar}, Pac. J. Math. 10, 313-334 (1960; Zbl 0091.298)] but with two bounding functions in place of the t-norm. When Max and Min are the bounding functions, the triangle inequality reduces to the classical form with addition and a partial ordering as defined by \textit{M. Mizumoto} and \textit{K. Tanaka} [in ''Advances in Fuzzy Set Theory and Applications'', M. M. Gupta, R. K. Ragade, and R. R. Yager, Eds., North-Holland, New York, 153- 164 (1979; Zbl 0434.94026)]. The authors show that every Menger space can be regarded as a fuzzy metric space, that with a weak condition on the right bounding function a fuzzy metric space induces a metrizable uniformity on the underlying set, and that certain fixed point theorems hold.