Lably
Skip to content

Fubini's theorem

Conditions for switching order of integration in calculus

  • 15 min read
  • 10 chapters

Related on Lably

Through Leonhard Euler, Σ-algebra and Set theory

More formally, the theorem states that if a function is Lebesgue integrable on a rectangle X×Y, then one can evaluate the double integral as an iterated integral:∬X×Yf(x,y)d(x,y)=∫X(∫Yf(x,y)dy)dx=∫Y(∫Xf(x,y)dx)dy.

This formula is generally not true for the Riemann integral (however, it is true if the function is continuous on the rectangle; in multivariable calculus, this weaker result is sometimes also called Fubini's theorem).

Tonelli's theorem, introduced by Leonida Tonelli in 1909, is similar but is applied to a non-negative measurable function rather than to an integrable function over its domain. The Fubini and Tonelli theorems are usually combined and form the Fubini–Tonelli theorem, which gives the conditions under which it is possible to switch the order of integration in an iterated integral.

A related result is often called Fubini's theorem for infinite series, although it is due to Alfred Pringsheim. It states that if {am,n}m=1,n=1∞ is a double-indexed sequence of real numbers, and if ∑(m,n)∈N×Nam,n is absolutely convergent, then ∑(m,n)∈N×Nam,n=∑m=1∞∑n=1∞am,n=∑n=1∞∑m=1∞am,n.

History

A special case of Fubini's theorem for continuous functions on the product of closed, bounded subsets of real vector spaces was known to Leonhard Euler in the 18th century. In 1904, Henri Lebesgue extended this result to bounded measurable functions on a product of intervals. Beppo Levi conjectured that the theorem could be extended to functions that are integrable rather than bounded, and this was proven by Fubini in 1907. In 1909, Leonida Tonelli gave a variation of the Fubini theorem that applies to non-negative functions rather than integrable functions.

Sign in to keep reading

9 more chapters are free with a Lably account.

More in Calculus and analysis