MATH 1003 Calculus and Linear Algebra

(Lecture 13.5)
Weiping Li
Department of Mathematics, HKUST

Weiping Li Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1003 Calculus and Linear Algebra (Lecture 13.5)

Continuity

Definition
A function f : (a, b) ! R is continuous at a point c 2 (a, b) if
1. limx!c f (x) exists,
2. f (c) exists,
3. limx!c f (x) = f (c).
f (x) is called continuous over (a, b) if f is continuous at every
point c 2 (a, b).

Weiping Li Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1003 Calculus and Linear Algebra (Lecture 13.5)

Example 0
Example

The function f (x) is discontinuous at x = 1, 2 but is continuous at

all other points: f (x) is not defined at x = 1, and limx!2 f (x)
does not exist.
Weiping Li Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1003 Calculus and Linear Algebra (Lecture 13.5)

Example 1
Example
Is the function f (x) continuous at the point?
1. f (x) = x 1 at x = 2.
8 2
1 if x > 2
< x
3
if x = 2 , at x = 2.
2. f (x) =
:
x +1
if x < 2

Solution 1. Since limx!2 (x 1) = 2 1 = 1 and

f (2) = 2 1 = 1, they are equal, so f is continuous at x = 2.
2. limx!2 f (x) = limx!2 (x + 1) = 2 + 1 = 3,
limx!2+ f (x) = limx!2+ (x 2 1) = 22 1 = 3, f (2) = 3, they are
equal, so f is continuous at x = 2.
Remark For question 2, if f (2) is changed to 5, then f is not
continuous at x = 2.
Weiping Li Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1003 Calculus and Linear Algebra (Lecture 13.5)

Continuity properties
Theorem
1. A polynomial function is continuous for all x
(f (x) = 3x + 5 + 8x 10 is continuous for all x).
2. A rational function is continuous for all x except those values
2
that make a denominator 0. (f (x) = xx +5
1 is continuous for all
x 6= 1)
p
3. If n is an odd positive integer, p
then n f (x) is continuous
3
wherever f (x) is continuous. ( x 4 is continuous for all x)
p
4. If n is an even integer, then n f (x) is continuous wherever
p
f (x) is continuous and nonnegative. ( 4 x is continuous on
[0, 1))

Weiping Li Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1003 Calculus and Linear Algebra (Lecture 13.5)

Continuous functions

Theorem
If f (x) is continuous on (a, b) and f (x) 6= 0 for all x in (a, b), then
either f (x) > 0 for all x in (a, b) or f (x) < 0 for all x in (a, b).
In other words, if f (x1 ) < 0 and f (x2 ) > 0 for a continuous
function f , then there exists x0 such that f (x0 ) = 0.

Weiping Li Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1003 Calculus and Linear Algebra (Lecture 13.5)

Solving inequality and sign charts

Example
Find the range of x such that:
1.
2.
3.

x+1
x 2 > 0 (Answer ( 1, 1) [ (2, 1))
x2 1
x 3 < 0 (Answer ( 1, 1) [ (1, 3))
x 2 +1
x 3 > 0 (Answer (3, 1))

Weiping Li Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1003 Calculus and Linear Algebra (Lecture 13.5)

Average Rate of Change

Let y = f (x). Roughly speaking, the rate of change of y is

Change in y
Change in x
More rigorously, we have the following definition:

Definition
For y = f (x), the average rate of change from x = a to x = b is
f (b)
b

Weiping Li Department of Mathematics, HKUST

f (a)
a

MATH 1003 Calculus and Linear Algebra (Lecture 13.5)

Average Rate of Change

Example
A small ball dropped from a tower will fall a distance of y feet in x
seconds, as given by the formula
y = 16x 2 .

(a) Find the average velocity from x = 2 seconds to x = 3

seconds.
(b) Find the average velocity from x = 2 seconds to x = 2 + h
seconds, h 6= 0.
(c) Find the expression from part (2) as h ! 0, if it exists.

Weiping Li Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1003 Calculus and Linear Algebra (Lecture 13.5)

Average Rate of Change

Solution
(a) The average velocity is
second.
(b) The average velocity is

16 32
3

16 22
= 80 feet per
2

16(2 + h)2
2+h

16 22
16(h2 + 4h)
=
2
h

feet per second.

16(h2 + 4h)
= lim 16(h + 4) = 64 feet per second.
(c) lim
h!0
h!0
h

Weiping Li Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1003 Calculus and Linear Algebra (Lecture 13.5)

Instantaneous Rate of Change

In the previous example, we consider the average rate of change of
distance when the change of x is from 2 to 2 + h. And then we let
h tends to 0. The limit can be regarded as the instantaneous rate
of change of at 2. In general, we have the following definition:

Definition
For y = f (x), the instantaneous rate of change at x = a is
f (a + h)
h!0
h
lim

f (a)

i.e. it is the limit of the dierence quotient of f at x = a.

Example
The instantaneous rate of change at x = 2 in the previous example
is 64.
Weiping Li Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1003 Calculus and Linear Algebra (Lecture 13.5)

Slope of a Secant Line

A line through two point on the graph
of y = f (x) is called a secant line. If
(a, f (a) and (a + h, f (a + h)) are two
points on the graph of y = f (x), then
the slope of secant line from x = a to
x = a + h is
f (a + h) f (a)
f (a + h)
=
(a + h) a
h

f (a)

Thus, the slope of secant line can be interpreted as the average rate of change
of y from x = a to x = a + h.

Weiping Li Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1003 Calculus and Linear Algebra (Lecture 13.5)

Slope of a Secant Line

Example
Given y = f (x) = 0.5x 2 ,
(a) Find the slope of secant line for a = 1, and h = 2.
(b) Find the slope of secant line for a = 1 and h for any nonzero
number.
(c) Find the limit of expression in (b) as h ! 0.

Weiping Li Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1003 Calculus and Linear Algebra (Lecture 13.5)

Slope of a Secant Line

Solution
(a) The slope of secant line is
f (3)

f (1)
2

=2

(b) The slope of secant line is

f (1 + h)
h

f (1)

0.5(1 + h)2
h

0.5

h + 0.5h2
= 1 + 0.5h
h

(c) As h ! 0, we have
lim

h!0

f (1 + h)
h

f (1)

Weiping Li Department of Mathematics, HKUST

= lim (1 + 0.5h) = 1
h!0

MATH 1003 Calculus and Linear Algebra (Lecture 13.5)

Slope of a Tangent
From the graph, we observe that the
slope of the secant line tends to the slope
of the tangent as h tends to 0. Therefore, we have the following definition:

Definition
Given y = f (x), the slope of the
tangent line of f(x) at the point x = a
is given by
f (a + h)
h!0
h
lim

f (a)

if the limit exists.

Weiping Li Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1003 Calculus and Linear Algebra (Lecture 13.5)

The Derivative

Definition
For y = f (x), we define the derivative of f at x, denoted by f 0 (x),
dy
df
or
, to be
dx
dx
f (x + h)
h!0
h

f 0 (x) = lim

f (x)

if the limit exist. If f 0 (x) exists for each x in the interval

a < x < b, then f is said to be dierentiable over a < x < b.

Weiping Li Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1003 Calculus and Linear Algebra (Lecture 13.5)

Summary

There are three dierent interpretations of the derivative of f (x):

I

Limit of the dierence quotient: f 0 (x) is the limit of the

dierence quotient of f at x.

Slope of the tangent line: f 0 (x) is the slope of the line

tangent to the graph of f at the point (x, f (x)).

Instantaneous rate of change: f 0 (x) is the instantaneous rate

of change of y = f (x) with respect to x.

Weiping Li Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1003 Calculus and Linear Algebra (Lecture 13.5)

Exercise

Example
Find f 0 (1) for each of the following functions:
(a) f (x) = 2x

x2

(b) f (x) = x 3
1
(c) f (x) =
x
p
(d) f (x) = x
Answers: a) 0

b) 3

c) -1

Weiping Li Department of Mathematics, HKUST

d) 1/2

MATH 1003 Calculus and Linear Algebra (Lecture 13.5)