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Challenge Problems

This document lists 10 challenging calculus problems for students to solve with proofs. The problems cover a range of calculus topics including inequalities, existence of solutions, continuity, fixed points, volumes of intersections, derivatives, integrals, and series convergence. Students must use techniques like taking logarithms, factorizing polynomials, partial fraction decomposition, and analyzing functions and derivatives to solve the problems.

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176 views2 pages

Challenge Problems

This document lists 10 challenging calculus problems for students to solve with proofs. The problems cover a range of calculus topics including inequalities, existence of solutions, continuity, fixed points, volumes of intersections, derivatives, integrals, and series convergence. Students must use techniques like taking logarithms, factorizing polynomials, partial fraction decomposition, and analyzing functions and derivatives to solve the problems.

Uploaded by

Lakshya
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
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CHALLENGING PROBLEMS FOR CALCULUS STUDENTS

MOHAMMAD A. RAMMAHA

1. Introduction
In what follows I will post some challenging problems for students who have had
some calculus, preferably at least one calculus course. All problems require a proof.
They are not easy but not impossible. I hope you will find them stimulating and
challenging.
2. Problems
(1) Prove that
e > e .
(2.1)
Hint: Take the natural log of both sides and try to define a suitable function
that has the essential properties that yield inequality 2.1.
  14   12
1
1
(2) Note that 6= but
=
. Prove that there exists infinitely many
4
2
pairs of positive real numbers and such that 6= ; but = . Also,
find all such pairs.
Hint: Consider the function f (x) = xx for x > 0. In particular, focus your
attention on the interval (0, 1]. Proving the existence of such pairs is fairly
easy. But finding all such pairs is not so easy. Although such solution pairs
are well known in the literature, here is a neat way of finding them: look at
an article written by Jeff Bomberger1, who was a freshman at UNL enrolled
in my calculus courses 106 and 107, during the academic year 1991-92.
1
4

1
;
2

(3) Let a0 , a1 , ..., an be real numbers with the property that


a1 a2
an
a0 +
+
+ ... +
= 0.
2
3
n+1
Prove that the equation
a0 + a1 x + a2 x2 + ...an xn = 0
1Jeffrey

Bomberger, On the solutions of aa = bb , Pi Mu Epsilon Journal, Volume 9(9)(1993),

571-572.
1

M. A. RAMMAHA

has at least one solution in the interval (0, 1).


(4) Suppose that f is a continuous function on [0, 2] such that f (0) = f (2). Show
that there is a real number [1, 2] with f () = f ( 1).
(5) Suppose that f : [0, 1] [0, 1] is a continuous function. Prove that f has a
fixed point in [0, 1], i.e., there is at least one real number x [0, 1] such that
f (x) = x.
(6) The axes of two right circular cylinders of radius a intersect at a right angle.
Find the volume of the solid of intersection of the cylinders.
(7) Let f be a real-valued function defined on [0, ), with the properties: f is
continuous on [0, ), f (0) = 0, f 0 exists on (0, ), and f 0 is monotone increasing on (0, ).
Let g be the function given by: g(x) = f (x)
for x (0, ).
x
a) Prove that g is monotone increasing on (0, ).
b) Prove that, if f 0 (c) = 0 for some c > 0, and if f (x) 0, for all x 0,
then f (x) = 0 on the Z
interval [0, c].
1
(8) Evaluate the integral
dx.
4
x +1
Hint: write x4 + 1 as (x2 + 1)2 2x2 . Factorize and do a partial fraction
decomposition.
Z
(9) Determine whether the improper integral
sin(x) sin(x2 )dx is convergent
0

or divergent.
Hint: the integral is convergent.
(10) Let f be a real-valued function
that f , f 0 , and f 00 are all continuous on
P such
[0, 1]. Consider the series k=1 f ( k1 ).
P
1
(a) Prove that if the series
k=1 f ( k ) is convergent, then f (0) = 0 and
f 0 (0) = 0.
P
1
(b) Conversely, show that if f (0) = f 0 (0) = 0, then the series
k=1 f ( k ) is
convergent.
Department of Mathematics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 685880130, USA
E-mail address: [email protected]

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