Sigma-Algebras and Measures - Key Proof
We prove the continuity from below property of measures: if are measurable sets, then
Proof: Define and for , let . Then the sets are pairwise disjoint, and
By countable additivity of :
Now observe that for each :
By finite additivity:
Therefore:
This completes the proof.
The continuity from above property requires an additional finiteness condition. If and , then:
The finiteness condition is necessary. Without it, the result can fail. Consider counting measure on and let . Then , but for all , so the limit is .
To prove continuity from above, we use the result just proven. Note that . By continuity from below:
Since , we can subtract to get:
Thus as claimed. These continuity properties are essential for proving convergence theorems in integration theory.