TITLE: Doubt in Baby Rudin Theorem 6.17 (Riemann-Stieltjes integral)
QUESTION [5 upvotes]: I have a doubt in one step of the proof of the following theorem in Rudin's Principles of Mathematical Analysis

Rudin proceeds to prove this as follows:
Given $\epsilon>0, \exists$ a partition P such that $$U(P,\alpha')-L(P,\alpha') < \epsilon$$
Let $M=sup|f(x)|$
He then proves that
$$ |U(P,f,\alpha)-U(P,f\alpha')| \leq M\epsilon$$
Also, he has shown that the above is true for any refinement of $P$ as well.
It is clear to me till here. But then he 'concludes' that

I fail to understand how this follows from the the fact that the inequality for $P$ is also true for any refinement of $P$.
Please help!

REPLY [3 votes]: The purpose of proving $\left| \overline\int_a^b fd\alpha - \overline\int_a^b f(x)\alpha'(x)dx \right|\le M\epsilon$ is to show $\overline\int_a^b fd\alpha = \overline\int_a^b f(x)\alpha'(x)dx$.  To this end, an alternative straightforward proof is as follows:  For any $\delta > 0$, clearly we can find $P_1, P_2$ such that $\left| \overline\int_a^b fd\alpha - U(P_1, f, \alpha) \right|\le \delta$ and $\left| \overline\int_a^b f(x)\alpha'(x)dx - U(P_2, f\alpha') \right|\le \delta.$  Recall also that $\left| U(P, f, \alpha) - U(P, f\alpha') \right|\le M\epsilon$. Now let $P^*=P\cup P_1 \cup P_2$.  Then these three inequalities still hold, if we substitute $P^*$ for $P_1, P_2,$ and $P$.  So it follows that $$\left| \overline\int_a^b fd\alpha - \overline\int_a^b f(x)\alpha'(x)dx \right|\le M\epsilon+2\delta,$$
which shows $\overline\int_a^b fd\alpha = \overline\int_a^b f(x)\alpha'(x)dx$, since both $\epsilon$ and $\delta$ can be made arbitrarily small.
Remark: The last inequality also implies $\left| \overline\int_a^b fd\alpha - \overline\int_a^b f(x)\alpha'(x)dx \right|\le M\epsilon,$ since $\delta$ is arbitrary.