Vitali coverings and Lebesgue's differentiation theorem (Q1769731)

A fresh perspective on Vitali covers leads to a new proof of Lebesgue's differentiation theorem and an answer to the question of which variational properties a function should have for it to be differentiable a.e. on a set \(E\). A covering relation is a family \(\beta\) of pairs \(([x,y],z])\) with \(x<y\) and \(z \in [x,y]\). Such a relation \(\beta\) is a full cover of a set \(E\) of real numbers if for each \(z \in E\), there is a \(\delta >0\) such that \(\beta\) includes all pairs \(([x,y],z)\) satisfying \(0<y-x<\delta\) and \(z \in [x,y]\). The relation \(\beta\) is a fine cover of \(E\) if for each \(z \in E\) and each \(\delta >0\), there is a pair \(([x,y],z)\) in \(\beta\) such that \(0<y-x<\delta\) and \(z \in [x,y]\). The length \(\ell (\beta)\) of a covering relation \(\beta\) is the supremum of the lengths of all finite nonoverlapping families contained in \(\beta\). The function \({\mathcal L}(E) = \inf\{ \ell (\beta):\beta \) is a full cover of \( E \}\) is a metric outer measure on the real line, and the same is true of the function \({\mathcal L}_*\) defined using fine covers. Let \(\lambda\) be Lebesgue outer measure. Then the Vitali covering theorem takes the intriguing form \(\lambda = {\mathcal L} = {\mathcal L}_*\). The variation of a function \(f\) relative to a covering relation \(\beta\), written \(v(f,\beta)\), can be defined in like fashion using finite nonoverlapping families, leading to a total variation \(V^f(E) = \inf \{v(f,\beta): \beta \) is a full cover of \( E\} \). The variation \(V_*^f\) is defined similarly using fine covers. Both \(V^f\) and \(V_*^f\) are metric outer measures. The function \(f\) is said to have the Vitali property on a Borel set \(E\) if \(V^f = V_*^f\) on every Borel subset of \(E\). Several growth lemmas regarding the four outer measures above lead to the theorems: (A) If \(f\) has a finite derivative at every point of a Borel set \(E\), then \(f\) has the Vitali property on \(E\) and \(V^f(E) = V_*^f(E) = \int_E| f'| \). (B) If \(f\) has the Vitali property on a Borel set \(E\), then \(f\) has a finite derivative \({\mathcal L}\)-a.e. on \(E\). As a consequence, the differentiation structure of a continuous nondecreasing function \(f\) can summarized by the properties that \(f\) is differentiable a.e. on \([a,b]\), \(f\) has a finite or infinite derivative a.e. with respect to \(V^f\) (Lebesgue-Stieltjes measure in this case), and, denoting the sets where \(f\) has a finite derivative and where it has an infinite derivative by \(D\) and \(D_{\infty}\), respectively, \(V_*^f(E) = V^f(E) = \int_{E\cap D} f' + V^f(E\cap D_{\infty})\). The Vitali property for a continuous function \(f\) on a Borel set \(E\) is characterized by the necessary and sufficient condition that \(V^f\) be \(\sigma\)-finite on \(E\). Conditions under which this occurs are also given in the paper.