Scribd
Upload
3 views11 pages

Understanding Function Continuity

The document explains the concept of continuity in functions, defining it as a function being continuous at a point x0 if the limit as x approaches x0 equals the function's value at x0. It outlines conditions for continuity from the left and right, and provides examples and counterexamples to illustrate these concepts. Additionally, it states that if a function is differentiable at x0, it is also continuous at that point.

Uploaded by

ruqaiah.nadeem77
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
3 views11 pages

Understanding Function Continuity

The document explains the concept of continuity in functions, defining it as a function being continuous at a point x0 if the limit as x approaches x0 equals the function's value at x0. It outlines conditions for continuity from the left and right, and provides examples and counterexamples to illustrate these concepts. Additionally, it states that if a function is differentiable at x0, it is also continuous at that point.

Uploaded by

ruqaiah.nadeem77
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Continuity

Question:
How to calculate the limits? If the function is not defined at the given place,
the definition should be use. If the function
is defined at x0 several different cases are possible.
A special, very important case is,
when the limit is equal to the vaue of the function, i .e .,

lim f (x ) = f (x0 )
x  x0

Then, we say f (x ) is CONTINUOUS at the place x0 .

Definition
Let the function f (x ) be defined at and in a neighborhood of x0 .

f (x ) is:

continuous at x0 if limx  x0 f (x ) = f (x0 ).

continuous from the left at x0 if limx  x0 -0 f (x ) = f (x0 ).

continuous from the right at x0 if limx  x0 +0 f (x ) = f (x0 ).

Remarks
The function f (x ) is continuous on an interval (a , b ) if it is continuous at every
point x0 ∈ (a , b ).
The function is continuous on an interval [a , b ] if it is continuous at every point
x0 ∈ (a , b ), and it is continuous from the left and right at a and b, respectively.

"Graphic" meaning
If the function is continuous on an interval, then it's graph is a "continuous"
curve, that is, it can be plotted without lifting up the pencil of the paper.
2 [Link]

Basic cases
◼ f is continuous at x0

Out[ ]=

x0

◼ f is not continuous at x0 - ban (f (x0 ) does not exist)


[Link] 3

Out[ ]=

x0

◼ f is not continuous at x0 - ban (f (x0 ) and the limit are not equal)
4 [Link]

Out[ ]=

x0

◼ f is not continuous at x0 - ban (limit does not exist)

0.6

0.4
Out[ ]=

0.2

x0
[Link] 5

Examples for continuity


◼ x
1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

-1.0 -0.5 0.5 1.0


6 [Link]

◼ sin(x )

0.5

-1.0 -0.5 0.5 1.0

-0.5
[Link] 7

1
sin 
◼ f (x ) =
x
x ≠0
x
0 x =0

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

-0.4 -0.2 0.2 0.4

-0.1

-0.2
8 [Link]

Counterexamples
1, x > 0
◼ f (x) = sign(x) = 0, x = 0
- 1, x < 0

1.0

0.5

Out[ ]=
-2 -1 1 2

-0.5

-1.0
[Link] 9

1
◼ limx 0 sin  does not exist
x

1.0

0.5

-1.0 -0.5 0.5 1.0

-0.5

-1.0
10 [Link]

1, x ≠ 0
◼ f (x) = 1
2
, x=0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

-1.0 -0.5 0.0 0.5 1.0

Theorem
If f is differentiable at x0 , then f is continuous at x0 .

◼ sin(x ) differentiable  continuous

0.5

-1.0 -0.5 0.5 1.0

-0.5

◼ x continuous, not smooth!!!


[Link] 11

1.0

0.8

0.6
Out[ ]=
0.4

0.2

-1.0 -0.5 0.5 1.0

You might also like