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TheoremProved

The Dominated Convergence Theorem

Statement

Let (fn)(f_n) be measurable functions with fn→ff_n \to f pointwise almost everywhere, and suppose there is an integrable function gg (i.e. ∫g dμ<∞\int g\,d\mu < \infty) with ∣fn∣≤g|f_n| \le g almost everywhere for every nn. Then ff is integrable and lim⁡n→∞∫fn dμ=∫f dμ\lim_{n\to\infty} \int f_n\,d\mu = \int f\,d\mu.

Why is it true?

The dominating function gg acts as a fixed 'ceiling' of finite total mass that no fnf_n can exceed, ruling out mass silently escaping to infinity — the exact failure mode that defeats naive limit-interchange arguments when there is no monotonicity to rely on.

Proof sketch

Since g−fn≥0g - f_n \ge 0 almost everywhere, Fatou's lemma applies: ∫lim inf⁡n→∞(g−fn) dμ≤lim inf⁡n→∞∫(g−fn) dμ\int \liminf_{n\to\infty}(g-f_n)\,d\mu \le \liminf_{n\to\infty} \int (g-f_n)\,d\mu. Because fn→ff_n \to f, the left side equals ∫(g−f) dμ=∫g dμ−∫f dμ\int (g-f)\,d\mu = \int g\,d\mu - \int f\,d\mu (valid since ∫g dμ\int g\,d\mu is finite), and the right side equals ∫g dμ−lim sup⁡n→∞∫fn dμ\int g\,d\mu - \limsup_{n\to\infty}\int f_n\,d\mu.

Cancelling the finite quantity ∫g dμ\int g\,d\mu from both sides gives −∫f dμ≤−lim sup⁡n→∞∫fn dμ-\int f\,d\mu \le -\limsup_{n\to\infty}\int f_n\,d\mu, i.e. lim sup⁡n→∞∫fn dμ≤∫f dμ\limsup_{n\to\infty}\int f_n\,d\mu \le \int f\,d\mu.

Next, since g+fn≥0g+f_n \ge 0 almost everywhere, Fatou's lemma applied to (g+fn)(g+f_n) gives ∫(g+f) dμ≤lim inf⁡n→∞∫(g+fn) dμ\int (g+f)\,d\mu \le \liminf_{n\to\infty}\int (g+f_n)\,d\mu, and cancelling ∫g dμ\int g\,d\mu again gives ∫f dμ≤lim inf⁡n→∞∫fn dμ\int f\,d\mu \le \liminf_{n\to\infty}\int f_n\,d\mu.

Combining the two inequalities, lim sup⁡n→∞∫fn dμ≤∫f dμ≤lim inf⁡n→∞∫fn dμ\limsup_{n\to\infty}\int f_n\,d\mu \le \int f\,d\mu \le \liminf_{n\to\infty}\int f_n\,d\mu. Since lim inf⁡≤lim sup⁡\liminf \le \limsup always holds, all three quantities must coincide, so lim⁡n→∞∫fn dμ\lim_{n\to\infty}\int f_n\,d\mu exists and equals ∫f dμ\int f\,d\mu.

Topics that use this theorem

Step-by-step proofs

No step-by-step proof yet for this theorem.

References

  1. Gerald B. Folland (1999). Real Analysis: Modern Techniques and Their Applications
  2. Donald L. Cohn (2013). Measure Theory
  3. Hong Wang, Joshua Zahl (2025). Volume estimates for unions of convex sets, and the Kakeya set conjecture in three dimensions · arXiv:2502.17655 [preprint, not peer-reviewed]