Understanding Continuity: Exceptions to the Definition | Question on Continuity

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Homework Statement



Ok my book tells me

A function f is continuous at a number a if

lim x->a f(x) = f(a)

and I'm not buying it

Like sure it makes sense but I'm wondering if someone can tell me the exceptions to this definition or if it's just completely wrong

you know like sort of like how when I was told many years ago

cox(x)=-2 had no solutions

only to find out it did...

like so can someone tell me if the definition my book gives me is strictly speaking correct... please tell me all exceptions or if it's wrong like for example maybe the complex logarithm maybe?

Thanks

Homework Equations


The Attempt at a Solution

 
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GreenPrint said:

Homework Statement



Ok my book tells me

A function f is continuous at a number a if

lim x->a f(x) = f(a)

and I'm not buying it

Like sure it makes sense but I'm wondering if someone can tell me the exceptions to this definition or if it's just completely wrong
There are no exceptions.
GreenPrint said:
you know like sort of like how when I was told many years ago

cox(x)=-2 had no solutions
Why are you dragging this up again? It was explained to you that equations have domains on which they are defined. If x is a real number, then cos(x) = -2 has no solutions. If x is a complex number, then this equation has solutions.
GreenPrint said:
only to find out it did...

like so can someone tell me if the definition my book gives me is strictly speaking correct... please tell me all exceptions or if it's wrong like for example maybe the complex logarithm maybe?

Thanks
 
Thanks... I just wanted to make sure =). Yes I know they have domains but when their not specified one cannot assume that x is in the set of reals, especially when you were taught it about other number systems...

I just wanted to make sure and thanks!
 
The context of the problem usually makes it clear what the domain for an equation is.
 
GreenPrint said:

Homework Statement



Ok my book tells me

A function f is continuous at a number a if

lim x->a f(x) = f(a)

and I'm not buying it

Like sure it makes sense but I'm wondering if someone can tell me the exceptions to this definition or if it's just completely wrong

you know like sort of like how when I was told many years ago

cox(x)=-2 had no solutions

only to find out it did...

like so can someone tell me if the definition my book gives me is strictly speaking correct... please tell me all exceptions or if it's wrong like for example maybe the complex logarithm maybe?

Thanks

Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution


What you quoted is the DEFINITION of continuity. Not buying a definition is a little strange. Do you have a different definition of continuity?
 
There are two things I don't understand about this problem. First, when finding the nth root of a number, there should in theory be n solutions. However, the formula produces n+1 roots. Here is how. The first root is simply ##\left(r\right)^{\left(\frac{1}{n}\right)}##. Then you multiply this first root by n additional expressions given by the formula, as you go through k=0,1,...n-1. So you end up with n+1 roots, which cannot be correct. Let me illustrate what I mean. For this...
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