# What is the difference between operator theory and functional analysis?

In my undergrad mind they are the same subject because functional analysis studies functional spaces like Banach and Hilbert spaces. Operators are function, so shouldn't they be the same subject?

What is the distinction between the two fields?

I know many great books on functional analysis, such as one by Kreysig. What is a good introductory text on operator theory?

• Operator theory studies linear operators acting on vector spaces of functions (equipped with some kind of topology to make sense of infinite sums). Such vector spaces are a key object of study in functional analysis generally, but you can also study nonlinear functions (or "functionals") on them, rather than linear transformations; an example is the calculus of variations. – symplectomorphic Jun 12 '16 at 6:54
• Note that there is a difference between "function space" and "functional space." In fact, a "functional" usually means a (possibly nonlinear) real or complex valued function defined on a function space. – symplectomorphic Jun 12 '16 at 6:59

Actually I do not agree with some comments. In contemporary mathematics, operator theory is a branch of functional analysis that focuses on bounded and unbounded maps from a normed vector space (or a topological vector space) into another. Spectral theory is probably the most relevant part of operator theory, and it is linked to the theory of algebras ($C^*$-algebras, Banach algebras,...).