On nonlinear metric spaces of functions of bounded variation

In the first part of the paper, the nonlinear metric space $\langle\overline{\rm G}^\infty[a,b],d\rangle$ is defined and studied. It consists of functions defined on the interval $[a,b]$ and taking the values in the extended numeric axis $\overline{\mathbb R}$. For any $x\in\overline{\rm G}^\infty[a,b]$ and $t\in(a,b)$ there are limit numbers $x(t-0),x(t+0) \in\overline{\mathbb R}$ (and numbers $x(a+0),x(b-0)\in\overline{\mathbb R}$). The completeness of the space is proved. It is the closure of the space of step functions in the metric $d$. In the second part of the work, the nonlinear space ${\rm RL}[a,b]$ is defined and studied. Every piecewise smooth function defined on $[a,b]$ is contained in ${\rm RL}[a,b]$. Every function $x\in{\rm RL}[a,b]$ has bounded variation. All one-sided derivatives (with values in the metric space $\langle\overline{\mathbb R},\varrho\rangle$) are defined for it. The function of left-hand derivatives is continuous on the left, and the function of right-hand derivatives is continuous on the right. Both functions extended to the entire interval $[a,b]$ belong to the space $\overline{\rm G}^\infty[a,b]$. In the final part of the paper, two subspaces of the space ${\rm RL}[a,b]$ are defined and studied. In subspaces, promising formulations for the simplest variational problems are stated and discussed.