Convex Functions in ACL2(r)

Abstract

This paper builds upon our prior formalisation of R^n in ACL2(r) by presenting a set of theorems for reasoning about convex functions. This is a demonstration of the higher-dimensional analytical reasoning possible in our metric space formalisation of R^n. Among the introduced theorems is a set of equivalent conditions for convex functions with Lipschitz continuous gradients from Yurii Nesterov's classic text on convex optimisation. To the best of our knowledge a full proof of the theorem has yet to be published in a single piece of literature. We also explore "proof engineering" issues, such as how to state Nesterov's theorem in a manner that is both clear and useful.