Continuity of Functions
Continuity of Functions
Continuity of functions
CONTINUITY OF FUNCTIONS
DEFINITION OF CONTINUITY
Intuitively, the graph of a function can be described as a “continuous curve” if it has no breaks or holes.
The graph of a function has a break or hole if any of the following conditions occur:
DEFINITION
A function is said to be continuous at provided the following conditions are satisfied:
1. is defined
2. exists
If one or more of the conditions of this definition fails to hold, then we say that has
a discontinuity at .
CONTINUITY OF FUNCTIONS
Types of discontinuity
If a function is continuous at each number in an open interval , then we say that is continuous on .
DEFINITION
A function is said to be continuous on a closed interval if the following conditions are satisfied:
1. is continuous on .
a) is continuous at .
b) is continuous at .
c) is continuous at .
d) is continuous at if .
• The following functions are continuous in : exponential functions, sine and cosine
functions, polynomial functions.
• Rational, logarithmic, tangent and cotangent functions are all continuous in their
respective domains.
CONTINUITY OF FUNCTIONS
WORKED EXAMPLE 1
Investigate the continuity of the following functions and classify the points of discontinuity.
x2 4
2 x 2, if x 0 , if x 0
a) f ( x) 2 b) f ( x) x 2
x 2, if x 0 3, if x 0
SOLUTION
x2 4 0 x 2 x 2 4
a) lim f x lim 2 x 2 2 b) lim lim
x2 x 2 x2
x 0 x 0 0 x2
lim f x lim x 2 2 2 f 2 3
x 0 x 0
f 0 2
Thus, has a removable discontinuity at because .
Thus, is continuous since
CONTINUITY OF FUNCTIONS
WORKED EXAMPLE 2
k , if x 3
f ( x) x 2 9
, if x 3
x3
SOLUTION