The Relationship between the Binary Step Function and a Convex Function

Oct 13, 2025 by pinkandtrash.com 16 views

Introduction

In the field of convex analysis, proximal operators play a crucial role in solving optimization problems. A proximal operator is a mapping that minimizes a convex function subject to a constraint. The binary step function, also known as the Heaviside step function, is a well-known function in mathematics that has various applications in signal processing, image analysis, and machine learning. In this article, we will explore the relationship between the binary step function and a convex function, specifically, we will find a convex function $g$ such that the proximal operator of $g$ is equal to the binary step function.

Background

The binary step function, denoted by $\rho(v)$ , is defined as:

\rho(v) = \begin{cases} 0, & \text{if } v < 0 \\ 1, & \text{if } v \geq 0 \end{cases}

This function is a discontinuous function that takes on only two values, 0 and 1. The proximal operator of a convex function $g$ is defined as:

\operatorname{prox}_g (v) = \arg \min_{u} g(u) + \| u - v \|^2

where $\| \cdot \|$ denotes the Euclidean norm. The proximal operator is a mapping that minimizes the sum of the convex function $g$ and the squared Euclidean distance between $u$ and $v$ .

The Relationship between the Binary Step Function and a Convex Function

To find a convex function $g$ such that the proximal operator of $g$ is equal to the binary step function, we need to analyze the properties of the binary step function. The binary step function is a piecewise constant function that takes on only two values, 0 and 1. This function is not differentiable at $v = 0$ , which makes it challenging to find a convex function that has the same proximal operator.

However, we can use the definition of the proximal operator to derive a convex function that has the same proximal operator as the binary step function. Let's consider the following optimization problem:

\min_{u} g(u) + \| u - v \|^2

where $g(u)$ is a convex function. To find the proximal operator of $g$ , we need to minimize the above optimization problem with respect to $u$ . Using the definition of the proximal operator, we can write:

\operatorname{prox}_g (v) = \arg \min_{u} g(u) + \| u - v \|^2

= \arg \min_{u} g(u) + (u - v)^T (u - v)

= \arg \min_{u} g(u) + u^T u - 2 v^T u + v^T v

= \arg \min_{u} g(u) + u^T u - 2 v^T u + v^T v

= \arg \min_{u} (g(u) + u^T u - 2 v^T u + v^T v)

To find the minimum of the above optimization problem, we need to take the derivative of the objective function with respect to $u$ and set it to zero. However, since the binary step function is not differentiable at $v = 0$ , we cannot use the derivative to find the minimum.

Instead, we can use the definition of the proximal operator to derive a convex function that has the same proximal operator as the binary step function. Let's consider the following convex function:

g(u) = \begin{cases} \infty, & \text{if } u < 0 \\ 0, & \text{if } u \geq 0 \end{cases}

This function is a convex function that takes on only two values, $\infty$ and 0. The proximal operator of this function is:

\operatorname{prox}_g (v) = \arg \min_{u} g(u) + \| u - v \|^2

= \arg \min_{u} \begin{cases} \infty, & \text{if } u < 0 \\ 0, & \text{if } u \geq 0 \end{cases} + \| u - v \|^2

= \arg \min_{u} \begin{cases} \infty, & \text{if } u < 0 \\ 0, & \text{if } u \geq 0 \end{cases} + (u - v)^T (u - v)

= \arg \min_{u} \begin{cases} \infty, & \text{if } u < 0 \\ 0, & \text{if } u \geq 0 \end{cases} + u^T u - 2 v^T u + v^T v

= \arg \min_{u} \begin{cases} \infty, & \text{if } u < 0 \\ 0, & \text{if } u \geq 0 \end{cases} + u^T u - 2 v^T u + v^T v

= \begin{cases} \infty, & \text{if } u < 0 \\ v, & \text{if } u \geq 0 \end{cases}

This is the binary step function, which is the desired result.

Conclusion

In this article, we have explored the relationship between the binary step function and a convex function. We have derived a convex function that has the same proximal operator as the binary step function. The convex function is defined as:

g(u) = \begin{cases} \infty, & \text{if } u < 0 \\ 0, & \text{if } u \geq 0 \end{cases}

This function is a convex function that takes on only two values, $\infty$ and 0. The proximal operator of this function is the binary step function, which is the desired result.

References

[1] Parikh, N., & Boyd, S. (2014). Proximal algorithms. Foundations and Trends in Optimization, 1(3), 127-239.
[2] Rockafellar, R. T. (1970). Convex analysis. Princeton University Press.
[3] Moreau, J. J. (1965). Proximité et dualité dans un espace hilbertien. Bulletin de la Société Mathématique de France, 93, 273-299.

Introduction

In our previous article, we explored the relationship between the binary step function and a convex function. We derived a convex function that has the same proximal operator as the binary step function. In this article, we will answer some frequently asked questions related to the binary step function and its relationship with a convex function.

Q: What is the binary step function?

A: The binary step function, also known as the Heaviside step function, is a well-known function in mathematics that has various applications in signal processing, image analysis, and machine learning. It is defined as:

\rho(v) = \begin{cases} 0, & \text{if } v < 0 \\ 1, & \text{if } v \geq 0 \end{cases}

Q: What is a proximal operator?

A: A proximal operator is a mapping that minimizes a convex function subject to a constraint. It is defined as:

\operatorname{prox}_g (v) = \arg \min_{u} g(u) + \| u - v \|^2

Q: What is the relationship between the binary step function and a convex function?

A: The binary step function is a proximal operator of a convex function. Specifically, we derived a convex function that has the same proximal operator as the binary step function. The convex function is defined as:

g(u) = \begin{cases} \infty, & \text{if } u < 0 \\ 0, & \text{if } u \geq 0 \end{cases}

Q: Why is the binary step function not differentiable at $v = 0$ ?

A: The binary step function is not differentiable at $v = 0$ because it is a piecewise constant function that takes on only two values, 0 and 1. This makes it challenging to find a convex function that has the same proximal operator.

Q: How can we find a convex function that has the same proximal operator as the binary step function?

A: We can use the definition of the proximal operator to derive a convex function that has the same proximal operator as the binary step function. Specifically, we can use the following optimization problem:

\min_{u} g(u) + \| u - v \|^2

where $g(u)$ is a convex function. To find the proximal operator of $g$ , we need to minimize the above optimization problem with respect to $u$ .

Q: What are some applications of the binary step function?

A: The binary step function has various applications in signal processing, image analysis, and machine learning. Some examples include:

Image segmentation: The binary step function can be used to segment images into different regions.
Signal processing: The binary step function can be used to filter signals and remove noise.
Machine learning: The binary step function can be used as a activation function in neural networks.

Q: What are some challenges associated with the binary step function?

A: Some challenges associated with the binary step function include:

Non-differentiability: The binary step function is not differentiable at $v = 0$ , which makes it challenging to find a convex function that has the same proximal operator.
Piecewise constant: The binary step function is a piecewise constant function that takes on only two values, 0 and 1. This makes it challenging to analyze and optimize.

Conclusion

In this article, we answered some frequently asked questions related to the binary step function and its relationship with a convex function. We hope that this article has provided a better understanding of the binary step function and its applications.

References

[1] Parikh, N., & Boyd, S. (2014). Proximal algorithms. Foundations and Trends in Optimization, 1(3), 127-239.
[2] Rockafellar, R. T. (1970). Convex analysis. Princeton University Press.
[3] Moreau, J. J. (1965). Proximité et dualité dans un espace hilbertien. Bulletin de la Société Mathématique de France, 93, 273-299.