On nonlinear simultaneous Chebyshev approximation problems ✩

This paper is concerned with the problem of nonlinear simultaneous Chebyshev approximation in a real continuous function space. Some results on existence are established, in addition to characterization conditions of Kolmogorov type and also of alternation type. Applications are given to approximation by rational functions, by exponential sums and by Chebyshev splines with free knots.  2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.