The Span of Haar Functions

Oct 13, 2025 by pynkocean.com 14 views

Introduction

In the field of functional analysis and wavelets, Haar functions play a crucial role in the construction of wavelet bases. These functions are defined on the real line and are used to represent functions in a more efficient and compact manner. In this article, we will prove that the span of Haar functions equals the set of functions which are constant on dyadic intervals.

Preliminaries

Before we dive into the proof, let's first introduce the Haar functions and the concept of dyadic intervals.

Haar Functions

The Haar functions are defined as follows:

${\phi(x) = \begin{cases} 1 & x \in [0,1] \\ 0 & x \in \mathbb{R}\setminus[0,1] \end{cases}}$
${\psi(x) = \begin{cases} 1 & x \in [0, 1/2] \\ -1 & x \in (1/2, 1] \\ 0 & x \in \mathbb{R}\setminus[0, 1] \end{cases}}$

These functions are used to construct the Haar wavelet basis.

Dyadic Intervals

A dyadic interval is an interval of the form ${[k2^n, (k+1)2^n]}$ , where ${k}$ and ${n}$ are integers. These intervals are used to divide the real line into smaller and smaller subintervals.

The Span of Haar Functions

The span of Haar functions is the set of all linear combinations of Haar functions. In other words, it is the set of all functions of the form:

${\sum_{k=0}^{2^n-1} c_k \phi_{k, n} + \sum_{k=0}^{2^n-1} d_k \psi_{k, n}}$

where ${c_k}$ and ${d_k}$ are constants, and ${\phi_{k, n}}$ and ${\psi_{k, n}}$ are Haar functions.

The Set of Functions Which Are Constant on Dyadic Intervals

The set of functions which are constant on dyadic intervals is the set of all functions ${f}$ such that:

${f(x) = c_k}$ for all ${x \in [k2^n, (k+1)2^n]}$

where ${c_k}$ is a constant.

Proof

To prove that the span of Haar functions equals the set of functions which are constant on dyadic intervals, we need to show that every function in the span of Haar functions is also in the set of functions which are constant on dyadic intervals, and vice versa.

One Direction

Let ${f}$ be a function in the span of Haar functions. Then, we can write:

${f(x) = \sum_{k=0}^{2^n-1} c_k \phi_{k, n} + \sum_{k=0}^{2^n-1} d_k \psi_{k, n}}$

We need to show that ${f}$ is constant on dyadic intervals.

Let ${x \in [k2^n, (k+1)2^n]}$ . Then, we have:

${f(x) = \sum_{i=0}^{2^n-1} c_i \phi_{i, n}(x) + \sum_{i=0}^{2^n-1} d_i \psi_{i, n}(x)}$

Since ${\phi_{i, n}(x) = 1}$ if ${i = k}$ and ${\phi_{i, n}(x) = 0}$ otherwise, we have:

${f(x) = c_k + \sum_{i \neq k} d_i \psi_{i, n}(x)}$

Similarly, since ${\psi_{i, n}(x) = 1}$ if ${i = k}$ and ${\psi_{i, n}(x) = -1}$ if ${i = k+1}$ , we have:

${f(x) = c_k + d_k - d_{k+1}}$

Therefore, ${f}$ is constant on dyadic intervals.

The Other Direction

Let ${f}$ be a function which is constant on dyadic intervals. Then, we can write:

${f(x) = c_k}$ for all ${x \in [k2^n, (k+1)2^n]}$

We need to show that ${f}$ is in the span of Haar functions.

Let ${n}$ be a positive integer. Then, we can write:

${f(x) = \sum_{k=0}^{2^n-1} c_k \phi_{k, n}(x)}$

where ${\phi_{k, n}(x) = 1}$ if ${x \in [k2^n, (k+1)2^n]}$ and ${\phi_{k, n}(x) = 0}$ otherwise.

Therefore, ${f}$ is in the span of Haar functions.

Conclusion

In this article, we have proved that the span of Haar functions equals the set of functions which are constant on dyadic intervals. This result is important in the field of functional analysis and wavelets, as it provides a characterization of the Haar wavelet basis.

References

Haar, A. (1910). Zur Theorie der orthogonalen Funktionensysteme. Mathematische Annalen, 69(3), 331-371.
Daubechies, I. (1992). Ten Lectures on Wavelets. Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.
Mallat, S. (1989). Multiresolution representations and wavelet decomposition. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, 11(7), 674-693.
Q&A: Prove Span of Haar Functions Equals the Set of Functions Which Are Constant on Dyadic Intervals =============================================================================================

Introduction

In our previous article, we proved that the span of Haar functions equals the set of functions which are constant on dyadic intervals. In this article, we will answer some frequently asked questions related to this result.

Q: What are Haar functions?

A: Haar functions are a set of orthogonal functions defined on the real line. They are used to construct the Haar wavelet basis, which is a fundamental tool in functional analysis and wavelets.

Q: What are dyadic intervals?

A: Dyadic intervals are intervals of the form ${[k2^n, (k+1)2^n]}$ , where ${k}$ and ${n}$ are integers. These intervals are used to divide the real line into smaller and smaller subintervals.

Q: What is the span of Haar functions?

A: The span of Haar functions is the set of all linear combinations of Haar functions. In other words, it is the set of all functions of the form:

${\sum_{k=0}^{2^n-1} c_k \phi_{k, n} + \sum_{k=0}^{2^n-1} d_k \psi_{k, n}}$

where ${c_k}$ and ${d_k}$ are constants, and ${\phi_{k, n}}$ and ${\psi_{k, n}}$ are Haar functions.

Q: What is the set of functions which are constant on dyadic intervals?

A: The set of functions which are constant on dyadic intervals is the set of all functions ${f}$ such that:

${f(x) = c_k}$ for all ${x \in [k2^n, (k+1)2^n]}$

where ${c_k}$ is a constant.

Q: How do we prove that the span of Haar functions equals the set of functions which are constant on dyadic intervals?

A: To prove this result, we need to show that every function in the span of Haar functions is also in the set of functions which are constant on dyadic intervals, and vice versa. We can do this by showing that every function in the span of Haar functions can be written as a linear combination of Haar functions, and that every function which is constant on dyadic intervals can be written as a linear combination of Haar functions.

Q: What are the implications of this result?

A: This result has important implications in the field of functional analysis and wavelets. It provides a characterization of the Haar wavelet basis, which is a fundamental tool in many applications. It also provides a way to construct wavelet bases for other functions, which is useful in many areas of mathematics and engineering.

Q: Can you provide some examples of functions which are constant on dyadic intervals?

A: Yes, here are a few examples:

The function ${f(x) = 1}$ for all ${x \in [0, 1]}$ is constant on the dyadic interval ${[0, 1]}$ .
The function ${f(x) = 2}$ for all ${x \in [1, 2]}$ is constant on the dyadic interval ${[1, 2]}$ .
The function ${f(x) = 3}$ for all ${x \in [2, 3]}$ is constant on the dyadic interval ${[2, 3]}$ .

Q: Can you provide some examples of functions in the span of Haar functions?

A: Yes, here are a few examples:

The function ${f(x) = 1}$ for all ${x \in [0, 1]}$ is in the span of Haar functions.
The function ${f(x) = 2}$ for all ${x \in [1, 2]}$ is in the span of Haar functions.
The function ${f(x) = 3}$ for all ${x \in [2, 3]}$ is in the span of Haar functions.

Conclusion

In this article, we have answered some frequently asked questions related to the result that the span of Haar functions equals the set of functions which are constant on dyadic intervals. We hope that this article has been helpful in clarifying this result and its implications.