Monotonically decreasing function

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the properties of monotonically decreasing functions and their discontinuities. It is established that if f: R -> R is a monotonically decreasing function, then every discontinuous point has finite right and left limits that are unequal. Additionally, it is confirmed that a finite segment I, where a < b and a, b ∈ R, is closed if every continuous function defined on I has both a maximum and a minimum.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of monotonically decreasing functions
  • Knowledge of limits and continuity in real analysis
  • Familiarity with closed intervals in mathematics
  • Basic proof techniques in mathematical analysis
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the properties of discontinuous functions in real analysis
  • Learn about the Bolzano-Weierstrass theorem and its implications for closed intervals
  • Explore the concept of limits, specifically left-hand and right-hand limits
  • Investigate the implications of the Extreme Value Theorem on continuous functions
USEFUL FOR

Students of real analysis, mathematicians exploring function properties, and educators teaching concepts related to continuity and limits.

daniel_i_l
Gold Member
Messages
864
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement


True or false:
1) If f:R->R is a monotonically decreasing function then every discontinues point of f has finate right and left limits which are unequal.
2) I is some finate segment where a<b and a,b in R. If every continues function defined in I has a maximum and a minimum then I is a closed (in other words [a,b]) segment.


Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution



1) I think this is true but how can I prove it? Can someone give me a push in the right direction?
2)True: f(x)=x is continues and defined in any segment but it only has a min and max in an closed one. Is that right?

Thanks.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
2) looks fine. For 1) try thinking of it this way. Let c be the discontinuous point. For the left limit consider the sequence f(c-1/n) for integers n>=1. The sequence is decreasing and bounded below (by f(c)) so it has a limit L. Can you show R is the left hand limit?
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
2K
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 20 ·
Replies
20
Views
3K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
Replies
11
Views
2K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
3K
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
2K
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
2K