Differentiable implies continuous

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the theorem that states "differentiable implies continuous." Participants explore the proof of this theorem, addressing various aspects of differentiability and continuity, and engage in a technical examination of limits and their properties.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants discuss the definition of differentiability and its implications for continuity, referencing limits and the behavior of functions near a point.
  • One participant suggests that a proof can be constructed using the definition of the derivative and continuity without resorting to epsilon-delta arguments.
  • Another participant points out that distributing limits over a quotient is valid only if the limit of the denominator is non-zero, indicating a potential flaw in an earlier argument.
  • There is a suggestion that multiplying both sides of an equation by a limit can lead to a valid proof, despite the denominator approaching zero.
  • Participants express uncertainty about the rigor of their proofs and whether more formal approaches are necessary.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the best approach to proving the theorem. There are competing views on the validity of certain mathematical manipulations and the necessity of rigorous proofs.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note issues with LaTeX formatting that hindered clarity in presenting their arguments. There is also mention of the need for refreshing web-readers to see edits, which may affect the flow of the discussion.

dmatador
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ehhh
 
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Is this a homework problem?

This is really hard to read, with everything on one line, and the malformed fraction near the beginning. To make it more readable, use a pair of tex and /tex tags for each line.
 
It wasn't responding to any of the changes I was making to the Latex code and I gave up. I'm not sure what was wrong. And it wasn't a homework problem. I've never taken analysis. I was just wondering if this proof works after reading the theorem.
 
Often you will find that you need to click on your web-reader's "refresh" button when you edit LaTex. Why it doesn't refresh when you save the edit, I don't know.

I cannot, of course, see what you have deleted so I cannot directly answer your question (which apparently is about a specific proof that "differentiable implies continuous") but I can say this:
f(x) is differentiable at x= a if and only if
[tex]\lim_{h\to 0}\frac{f(a+ h)- f(a)}{h}[/tex]
exists. Since the denominator necessarily goes to 0, in order that the limit exist, the numerator must also go to 0: we must have
[tex]\lim_{h\to 0} f(a+h)- f(a)= 0[/tex]
If we let a+h= x then as h goes to 0, x goes to a so that is the same as
[tex]\lim_{x\to a}f(x)- f(a)= 0[/tex]

which is the same as
[tex]\lim_{x\to a} f(x)= f(a)[/tex]
For that to be true, we must have
1) [itex]\lim_{x\to a} f(x)[/itex] exist
2) f(a) exist
3) the two are equal
which is precisely the definition of "continuous at x= a".
 
[tex] f'(c) = \lim_{x\to c}\frac{f(x) - f(c)}{x - c}[/tex] ...since it is differentiable at any arbitrary point.

[tex] f'(c) = \frac{\lim_{x\to c}f(x) - \lim_{x\to c}f(c)}{\lim_{x\to c}(x - c)}[/tex] ...using properties of the limit (i think).

[tex] f'(c) * \lim_{x\to c}(x - c) = f'(c) * 0 = 0 = \lim_{x\to c}f(x) - \lim_{x\to c}f(c)[/tex] ...the limit of x - c is 0. The limit of f(c) is f(c) so this implies that

[tex] \lim_{x\to c}f(x) = f(c) [/tex] which proves continuity.

I know this can't be right. I am just trying to learn some of this. Also, would a more rigorous proof than the one you posted be at all better? I've seen some very confusing ones with deltas and epsilons and wonder if this is overkill?
 
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dmatador said:
[tex] f'(c) = \lim_{x\to c}\frac{f(x) - f(c)}{x - c}[/tex] ...since it is differentiable at any arbitrary point.

[tex] f'(c) = \frac{\lim_{x\to c}f(x) - \lim_{x\to c}f(c)}{\lim_{x\to c}(x - c)}[/tex] ...using properties of the limit (i think).
This does not work, as the limit of the denominator is 0. Distributing the limit over a quotient is only valid if the limit exists and the limit of the denominator is non-zero. However, you can get a working proof if you multiply both sides by [itex]\lim_{x\rightarrow c} x - c[/itex].
Going down to the level of deltas and epsilons is not necessary. There is a proof using only what you know about the definition of the derivative at a point, and the definition of continuous at a point, without explicitly using epsilon-delta form.
 
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slider142 said:
This does not work, as the limit of the denominator is 0. Distributing the limit over a quotient is only valid if the limit exists and the limit of the denominator is non-zero. However, you can get a working proof if you multiply both sides by [itex]\lim_{x\rightarrow c} x - c[/itex].

OK, I think I see that. After that you can pull out the limit sign and cancel out the x - c and are left with [tex]0 = \lim_{x\to c}f(x) - f(c)[/tex]. The proof is basically done.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
dmatador said:
OK, I think I see that. After that you can pull out the limit sign and cancel out the x - c and are left with [tex]0 = \lim_{x\to c}f(x) - f(c)[/tex]. The proof is basically done.

Yep. Good job.
 

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