Integration of Interval Functions

Abstract

The lack of a theory of integration of interval functions has hampered the development of interval methods for the solution of integral equations, which constitute an important class of mathematical models of real situations. This report provides such a theory by defining integrals of interval functions to be an interval with the limits of integrals of step-functions respectively less and greater than the integrand as endpoints. As these lower and upper Darboux integrals of basic integration theory always exist, it follows that all interval functions are integrable. The simplicity of this theory is due to the fact that intervals, rather than real numbers only, are accepted as values of integrals, even if the integrand is a real function (called a degenerate interval function in this context). Some useful properties of the interval integral defined in this report are derived, and its potential usefulness in connection with the numerical solution of integral equations is indicated.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1980
Accession Number
ADA089644

Entities

People

  • Kaj Madsen
  • Louis B. Rall
  • Ole Caprani

Organizations

  • University of Wisconsin–Madison

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Arithmetic
  • Computations
  • Computer Science
  • Computers
  • Construction
  • Contracts
  • Equations
  • Integral Equations
  • Integrals
  • Mathematical Models
  • Mathematics
  • Numbers
  • Numerical Analysis
  • Real Numbers
  • Step Functions
  • United States
  • Wisconsin

Fields of Study

  • Mathematics

Readers

  • Calculus or Mathematical Analysis