Homework 2 - Exercises: 11, 14, 16, 17.

Macancela Bo jorque Abraham Mateo, Perez Pilco Bryan Fernando,

Murillo Tobar Josué Francisco, and Riera Segura Lenin Rafael

June 22, 2021

Exercise 16. Let F : R → R be a C 1 function, such that F0 is bounded. Let Ω be bounded and
1
u ∈ H (Ω) (or u ∈ W 1,p (Ω)). Prove

v := F (u) ∈ H 1 (Ω) and vxi = F 0 (u)uxi , i = 1 : n.

(Hint: work by density.)

Exercise 17. Let Ω be bounded. Prove

(a). Ifu ∈ H 1 (Ω) (u ∈ W 1,p (Ω)) then |u| ∈ H 1 (Ω) (|u| ∈ W 1,p (Ω)).
Hint: we have u+ = lim→0 F (u) with

1/2

(z 2 + 2 ) − , if z ≥ 0,
F (z) =
0, if z < 0,

and use exercise 16

(b). If u ∈ H 1 (Ω) (u ∈ W 1,p (Ω)) then u+ , u− ∈ H 1 (Ω) (u+,− ∈ W 1,p (Ω)) and
 
∇u, a.e on {u > 0}, 0, a.e on {u ≥ 0},
∇u+ = ∇u− =
0, a.e on {u ≤ 0}, −∇u, a.e on {u < 0}.

(c). If u ∈ H 1 (Ω) (u ∈ W 1,p (Ω)) then ∇u = 0 a.e on {u = 0}.

Solution.

(a). We instead consider the function

1/2
F (z) = z 2 + 2 − , z ∈ R.

Let  > 0. Clearly, F ∈ C(R). Its derivative

z
F0 (z) = √ .
z 2 + 2
exists everywhere and it is continuous. Hence F0 ∈ C(R). Moreover,

 
|F0 (z)|
z  = √ |z| |z|
 
=  √ ≤ =1
z 2 + 2  z 2 + 2 |z|

1
 √
since |z| ≤ z 2 + 2 . By Exercise 16., F (u) ∈ W 1,p (Ω). Note that
√
|F (u) − |u|| = | u2 + 2 −  − |u||
√
≤ | u2 + 2 − |u|| +  Triangle inequality
√ √
≤ ||u| +  − |u|| +  Since u2 + 2 − |u| ≥ 0 and u2 + 2 ≤ |u| + 
= 2.

Thus Z
kF (u) − |u|kpLp (Ω) = |F (u) − |u||p ≤ |Ω|2p p → 0 as  → 0,
Ω

which means F (u) → |u| in Lp (Ω). By completeness, we just need to show that ∂i F (u) →
∂i |u| in Lp (Ω) to conclude |u| ∈ W 1,p (Ω). Here ∂i |u| = sgn(u)∂i u and by Exercise 16.,
∂i F (u) = F0 (u)∂i u. Now
Z
p
k∂i F (u) − ∂i |u|kLp (Ω) = |F0 (u)∂i u − sgn(u)∂i u|p → 0 as  → 0
Ω

by the dominated convergence theorem, which works since

u u
F0 (u)∂i u = √ ∂i u → ∂i u = sgn(u)∂i u as  → 0 (when u 6= 0)
u2 +2 |u|
pointwise
   

√ u u  
 = |u||∂i u|  √ 1 1 
∂i u − ∂ i u − 
 u2 + 2 |u|   u2 + 2 |u| 
|u||∂i u|  √ 
= √ |u| − u2 + 2 
|u| u2 + 2
|∂i u| √ 2 
=√ u + 2 − |u|
u2 + 2
|∂i u|  
≤√ |u| +  − |u|
u2 + 2
|∂i u|
≤  (when u 6= 0)
|u|
and

|F0 (u)∂i u − sgn(u)∂i u|p ≤ 2p (|F0 (u)∂i u|p + | sgn(u)∂i u|p ) |a − b|p ≤ 2p (|a|p + |b|p )
= 2p (|F0 (u)|p |∂i u|p + | sgn(u)|p |∂i u|p )
≤ 2p (|∂i u|p + |∂i u|p ) |F0 (u)| ≤ 1 and | sgn(u)| ≤ 1
= 2p+1 |∂i u|p ∈ L1 (Ω) ⇐= ∂i u ∈ Lp (Ω) ⇐= u ∈ W 1,p (Ω)

Therefore F (u) → |u| in W 1−p (Ω) and the conclusion follows.

(b). Consider the decomposition u = u+ − u− , where

1 1
u+ = (|u| + u) and u− = (|u| − u)
2 2

2
 Since u, |u| ∈ W 1,p (Ω) u+ , u− ∈ W 1,p (Ω) immediately.
we have Let's see that


∇u, a.e on {u > 0},
∇u+ = (1)
0, a.e on {u ≤ 0},

1 1
If u > 0, then (|u| + u) = (u + u) = u. Hence ∇u+ = ∇u. When u ≤ 0
u+ = we
2 2
1 1
have u+ = (|u| + u) = (−u + u) = 0 and therefore ∇u+ = 0. To show
2 2

0, a.e on {u ≥ 0},
∇u− =
−∇u, a.e on {u < 0}.

1 1
we proceed similarly. If u ≥ 0, then u− = (|u| − u) = (u − u) = 0. Hence ∇u− = 0.
2 2
1 1
When u<0 we have u− = (|u| − u) = (−u − u) = −u and therefore ∇u− = −∇u.
2 2
(c). Notice that

0, a.e on {u < 0},
− ∇u− = (2)
∇u, a.e on {u ≥ 0}.
As u = u+ − u− we have that ∇u = ∇u+ − ∇u− = 0 by combining (1) and (2).