Limits and Continuity, Least Upper Bound

Least Upper Bound

Let S be a nonempty set of real numbers. The supremum and infimum of S are the least upper bound and greatest lower bound respectively. If S is bounded above there is a unique supremum, and if S is bounded below there is a unique infimum. This is usually stated as an axiom, the beginning of real analysis, but if real numbers are defined properly, this principle can be proved rigorously.