Functional analysis. A terse introduction (Q263833)

As the authors write in the Preface, ``[t]his book is intended to make a smooth translation from linear algebra to the basics of functional analysis.'' For this reason, whenever possible, notions and results from functional analysis are motivated by their finite-dimensional analogues, as, for instance, matrices for linear operators. The first chapter is concerned with the axiom of choice (AC), equivalent results and consequences -- the existence of Lebesgue nonmeasurable sets in \(\mathbb{R}\) and the Banach-Tarski paradox. This is illustrated by Tao's whimsical example of a subset of \([0,2]\) that can be decomposed into a countable family of disjoint subsets which can be reassembled by translations to yield the entire \(\mathbb{R}\). Actually, the authors take care of this matter, by marking the results which depend on the AC. The effective study of functional analysis starts with Hilbert spaces, then Banach spaces, linear operators and functionals, dual spaces, forming the content of the first five chapters of the book. The Baire category theorem is presented in Chapter 8 with its main consequences -- uniform boundedness principle (Ch.~9), the open mapping theorem (Ch.~10) and the closed graph theorem (Ch.~11). Chapter 12 is concerned with the Hahn-Banach etension theorem and the separation of convex sets. The adjoint operator (in Hilbert and in Banach settings) is presented in Chapter 14, and weak topologies and reflexivity in Chapter 15. Chapters 16 and 17 are concerned with special classes of operators on Hilbert spaces (compact, self-adjoint, normal) and their spectral properties. The last chapter presents some compactness criteria in concrete Banach spaces -- sequence spaces, spaces of continuous functions and Lebesgue spaces. Besides these chapters, concerned with the main bulk of functional analysis, there are a chapter on fixed points (Ch.~8) and two chapters, 6 and 7, on Fourier series and on the Fourier transform, respectively. The book is clearly written, in an accessible way and with a pleasant layout. The prerequisites are minimal -- linear algebra and basic topology, except Chapters 6 and 7, where some results on Lebesgue measures and integration are required. It can be recommended for introductory courses in functional analysis, or for self-study.