In mathematics, strict positivity is a concept in measure theory. Intuitively, a strictly positive measure is one that is "nowhere zero", or that is zero "only on points".
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- Counting measure on any set (with any topology) is strictly positive.
- Dirac measure is usually not strictly positive unless the topology is particularly "coarse" (contains "few" sets). For example, on the real line with its usual Borel topology and -algebra is not strictly positive; however, if is equipped with the trivial topology then is strictly positive. This example illustrates the importance of the topology in determining strict positivity.
- Gaussian measure on Euclidean space (with its Borel topology and -algebra) is strictly positive.
- Wiener measure on the space of continuous paths in is a strictly positive measure — Wiener measure is an example of a Gaussian measure on an infinite-dimensional space.
- Lebesgue measure on (with its Borel topology and -algebra) is strictly positive.
- The trivial measure is never strictly positive, regardless of the space or the topology used, except when is empty.
- If and are two measures on a measurable topological space with strictly positive and also absolutely continuous with respect to then is strictly positive as well. The proof is simple: let be an arbitrary open set; since is strictly positive, by absolute continuity, as well.
- Hence, strict positivity is an invariant with respect to equivalence of measures.