What are the requirements for a function to be continuous at a point?

In summary, the conversation revolved around continuity and examples of continuous functions. The first example given was f(x)=x^3, and the concept of continuity at a point was mentioned. The second example discussed the proof that a function is not uniformly continuous on R. The third example showed that a function is uniformly continuous on a bounded subset of R. The conversation also touched on the definition of continuity at a point and on an interval. The conversation concluded with a counter example to the statement that a function must have a value at a point to be continuous at that point.
  • #1
rbzima
84
0
Hey guys, I'm in a little bit of a jam here:
I managed to miss a really important lecture on continuity the other day, and there were a few examples that the professor provided to the class that I just got, but would love it if someone could explain them to me.

First, f(x)=x3 is continuous on all of R. Everyone went through this, but I'm not really sure how it works.

Second, we used the fact that "a function [tex]f:A \rightarrow[/tex] R fails to be uniformly continuous on A if and only if there exists a particular [tex]\epsilon_{0} > 0[/tex] and two sequences (xn) and (yn) in A satisfying

[tex]\left| x_n - y_n\right| \rightarrow 0 [/tex] but [tex]\left| f(x_n) - f(y_n)\right| \rightarrow \epsilon_0 [/tex]

to show fis not uniformly continuous on R.

Thirdly, we showed that f is uniformly continuous on any bounded subset of R
 
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  • #2
I studied continuity in the last semester. I can't remember all the theorems ATM.
Any way, as far as I can remember that a function, in plain words, can be continuous
1) at a point or,
2) can be continuous on a certain interval.

For continuity at a point it must have a value at that point
For an interval, it must be continuous at every points in the interval.

I can remember upto this.
 
  • #3
rbzima said:
Hey guys, I'm in a little bit of a jam here:
I managed to miss a really important lecture on continuity the other day, and there were a few examples that the professor provided to the class that I just got, but would love it if someone could explain them to me.

First, f(x)=x3 is continuous on all of R. Everyone went through this, but I'm not really sure how it works.

Second, we used the fact that "a function [tex]f:A \rightarrow[/tex] R fails to be uniformly continuous on A if and only if there exists a particular [tex]\epsilon_{0} > 0[/tex] and two sequences (xn) and (yn) in A satisfying

[tex]\left| x_n - y_n\right| \rightarrow 0 [/tex] but [tex]\left| f(x_n) - f(y_n)\right| \rightarrow \epsilon_0 [/tex]

to show fis not uniformly continuous on R.

Thirdly, we showed that f is uniformly continuous on any bounded subset of R

For the first quesiton, you can use the contunuity of limit. As I remember ıt is something like that. lim(x --> a) f(x) = f(a). and for f(x^3), this statement is correct.
 
  • #4
mdnazmulh said:
I studied continuity in the last semester. I can't remember all the theorems ATM.
Any way, as far as I can remember that a function, in plain words, can be continuous
1) at a point or,
2) can be continuous on a certain interval.

For continuity at a point it must have a value at that point
For an interval, it must be continuous at every points in the interval.

I can remember upto this.

This is incorrect.

One counter example is the following function

Let [tex]f(x)=\left\{\begin{array}{cc}0,&\mbox{ if }
x\neq 0\\1, & \mbox{ if } x=0\end{array}\right.[/tex]

This function has a value at x = 0, but is certainly not continuous at that point.

From Wiki,
To be more precise, we say that the function f is continuous at some point c when the following two requirements are satisfied:

f(c) must be defined (i.e. c must be an element of the domain of f).

The limit of f(x) as x approaches c must exist and be equal to f(c).
 
Last edited:

What is continuity of functions?

Continuity of functions refers to the property of a mathematical function where a small change in the input value results in a small change in the output value. In other words, the function is continuous if it does not have any sudden jumps or breaks in its graph.

What is the difference between continuity and differentiability?

Continuity and differentiability are two related concepts in calculus. While continuity refers to the smoothness of a function, differentiability refers to the existence of the derivative of a function at a particular point. A function can be continuous but not differentiable, but if a function is differentiable at a point, it must also be continuous at that point.

How do you determine if a function is continuous at a point?

A function is continuous at a point if the limit of the function at that point exists and is equal to the value of the function at that point. In other words, the left and right limits of the function must be equal, and the function must be defined at that point.

What are the three types of continuity?

The three types of continuity are pointwise continuity, uniform continuity, and global continuity. Pointwise continuity refers to the continuity of a function at a specific point, while uniform continuity refers to the continuity of a function over an entire interval. Global continuity refers to the continuity of a function on its entire domain.

What is the intermediate value theorem?

The intermediate value theorem states that if a continuous function takes on two values, then it must also take on all values in between those two values. In other words, if a function is continuous on an interval, it must pass through every point in that interval.

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