Let XX be a real and let Ω1,Ω2⊂X\Omega_1,\Omega_2\subset X be nonempty.

Proposition: The sets Ω1\Omega_1 and Ω2\Omega_2 can be if and only if there exists a nonzero linear functional f:X→Rf:X\to\mathbb{R} such that

sup⁡x∈Ω1f(x)≤inf⁡y∈Ω2f(y).\sup_{x\in\Omega_1} f(x)\le \inf_{y\in\Omega_2} f(y).

Context: This equivalence is often used because it replaces a pointwise inequality ("for all xx and yy") with a single inequality between two real numbers. In the notes, the existence of sup⁡\sup and inf⁡\inf is justified using completeness of R\mathbb{R}.