# Math Help - Proof of Gronwall's Inequality

1. ## Proof of Gronwall's Inequality

I am trying to understand the proof to Gronwall's Inequality, but I have one major issue I was hoping someone could get me through. My issue actually makes the proof incorrect.

First, the statement of Gronwall's Inequality
Let

$\begin{matrix}u:[a,b]\rightarrow [0,\infty) \\v:[a,b]\rightarrow [0,\infty)\end{matrix}$
be continuous functions and let $C$ be a constant. Then if

$v(t) \le C + \int_a^t\! v(s) u(s)\, ds.$
For $t\in [a,b]$, it follows that

$v(t) \le C \exp\left(\int_a^t\! u(s)\, ds\right)$
for $t\in [a,b]$.

Proof:
$\dfrac{v(t)}{C + \int_a^t\! v(s) u(s)\, ds} \le 1$

How do we know $C + \int_a^t\! v(s) u(s)\, ds > 0$?

$\dfrac{v(t) u(t)}{C + \int_a^t\! v(s) u(s)\, ds} \le u(t)$
$\dfrac{d}{dt}\ln\left(C + \int_a^t\! v(s) u(s)\, ds\right) \le u(t)$
$\ln\left(C + \int_a^t\! v(s) u(s)\, ds\right) -\ln C \le \int_a^t\! u(s)\, ds$
$C + \int_a^t\! v(s) u(s)\, ds \le C exp\left(\int_a^t\! u(s)\, ds\right)$
How do we know $C > 0$?

EDIT: I guess both my questions boil down to how do we know $C > 0$? Since, we know $\int_a^t\! u(s) v(s)\, ds \ge 0$ by $\begin{matrix}u:[a,b]\rightarrow [0,\infty) \\v:[a,b]\rightarrow [0,\infty)\end{matrix}$

EDIT2: $v(t) \le C + \int_a^t\! v(s) u(s)\, ds \Rightarrow C + \int_a^t\! v(s) u(s)\, ds \ge 0$. However, I still don't see how we know $C > 0$.

2. Plug in u = 0. The result C > 0 pops right out.

3. I knew it was going to be that simple. Thank you.

4. You're welcome!