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Lecture 12

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11 views

Lecture 12

Uploaded by

aimann.azeemi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Continuity

• Develop the concept of CONTINUITY by examples


• Give a mathematical definition of continuity of functions
• Properties of continuous functions
• Continuity of polynomials and rational functions
• Continuity of compositions of functions
• The Intermediate values theorem
CONTINUITY of a function becomes obvious from its graph at certain
points in the plane .We will say CONTINUITY of a function or graph of a
function interchangeably.
• Here are some examples which show what is meant by
DISCONTINUITY

is discontinuous at point c since f(x) is not defined there


a) And c) are discontinuous at c even though f(x) is defined at c because
the limit x-> c DNE causing a break in the graph
d) Is discontinuous since limit x-> c not equal to f( c)
From the example we see that there is a break or discontinuity in the graph
of a function f(x) at x = c when the following things happen
• f is undefined at c
• The lim f ( x)does not exist.
x c
• The function is defined at c and the lim
x c
f ( x)exists, but the values of f(x)
and the values of the limit differ at the point c
So we get the following definition for continuity
Definition2.7.1
(a) f( c) is defined
b) lim f ( x) exists
x c

c) lim f ( x )  f (c )
x c
• If any of these conditions in this definition fail to hold for a function f(x)
at a point c , then f is called discontinuous at c
• c is called the point of discontinuity
• If f(x) is continuous at all points in an interval (a, b), then we say that f is
continuous on (a,b)
• A function continuous on the interval  , is called a continuous
function
Example
x2  4
f ( x) 
x 2
 x2  4
 if x 2
g ( x)  x  2
3 if x 2

• f is discontinuous at x = 2 because f(2) is undefined


• g is discontinuous because 2g(2)=3 and
x  4
lim g ( x) lim lim( x  2) 4
x 2 x 2 x  2 x 2

So
lim g ( x)  g (2)
x 2
The last equation does not satisfy the condition of continuity
• Condition (3) of the definition is enough to determine whether a function
is continuous or not
• This is so because if (3) is true, then (1) and (2) have to be true.
Example
2
Show that f ( x) x  2 x  1 is a continuous function.
• CONTINUOUS means continuous at all real numbers
• Show that part (3) of definition is met for all real number c
• By what we know about polynomials so far, we have
lim f ( x)  f (c)
x c

So
lim( x 2  2 x  1) c 2  2c  1
x c

Part (3) is met and f(x) is continuous

Theorem 2.7.2

Proof
The proof follows from theorem 2.5.2 in your text and that we saw in an
earlier lecture. Theorem 2.5.2 says
lim p ( x)  p(c)
x c

Where p is a polynomial, and c is any real number. Since c is any real


number, it follows that p(x) is continuous.
Example
Show that f ( x)  x is continuous.
Rewrite f(x) as
x if x 0
f ( x)  x 
 x if x  0
• Show lim f ( x)  f (c) for any real number c
x c

• Let c 0. Then f (c) c by definition of f (x).


• Also lim f ( x) lim x lim x c SINCE c 0.


x c x c x c
• x may be negative to begin with, but since it approaches c which is
positive or 0, we use the first part of the definition of f(x) to evaluate the
limit
• That is just f(x) = x which is a polynomial and hence we get the desired
result.
Now let c < 0. Then again f (c)  c by definition of f (x) and
lim f ( x) lim x lim x  c
x c x c x c

• x may be Positive or 0 to begin with, but since it approaches c which is


negative, we use the Second part of the definition of f(x) to evaluate the
limit
• That is just f(x) = -x which is a polynomial and hence we get the desired
result
Properties of Continuous Functions
Theorem 2.7.3

PROOF Part (b), rest as exercise


Let f and g be continuous function at the number c
Then
lim f ( x)  f (c)
x c

lim g ( x) g (c)
x c
So
lim f ( x).g ( x) lim f ( x).lim g ( x) by Limit Rules
x c x c x c

 f (c).g (c) by continuity of f and g

Continuity of Rational Functions


Example
2
Where is h( x)  x 9 continuous?
2
x  5x  9

Since the top and the bottom functions in h are polynomials, they are
continuous everywhere Hence, by property (d) of theorem 2.7.3, h will be
continuous at all points c as long as g(c)  0
x 2  5 x  9 0
Will give us all the x values where h will be discontinuous
These are x 2 x which
3 you get after solving the above equation for x .

Continuity of Composition of functions


Theorem 2.7.5
Let limit stand for one of the limits lim
x c
lim lim
x c x c
lim lim .If lim g ( x) Land if the function f is continuous at
or x
x  

L , then lim f ( g ( x))  f ( L).that is , lim f ( g ( x))  f (lim g ( x)).


Example
f ( x)  5  x 2

Here, f ( x)  x , g ( x) 5  x 2
SO by theorem 2.7.5
lim 5  x 2  lim5  x 2   4 4
x 3 x 3
Theorem 2.7.6
If the function g is continuous at the point c and the
function f is continuous at the point g (c ), then the composition f  g
is continuous at c.
Continuity from the left and right
Definition we use does not incorporate end points as at end points only left
hand or right hand limits make sense

• Graph of function in a) shows that f is discontinuous at a


• Graph of function in b) shows that f is discontinuous at b
• Graph of function in c) shows that f is continuous at a and b
Definition 2.7.7
A function f is called continuous from the left at point c if the conditions
in the left column below are satisfied, and is called continuous from the
right at the point c if the conditions in the right column are satisfied.
Definition 2.7.8
A function f is said to be continuous on a closed interval [a, b] if the
following conditions are satisfied

EXAMPLE
Show that f ( x)  9  x 2 is continuous on the interval [3,-3].By definition
2.7.8 and theorem 2.5.1(e), for c in (3,-3)
lim f ( x) lim 9  x 2  lim(9  x 2 )  9  c 2  f (c)
x c x c x c

So f is continuous on (3,-3) Also


lim 9  x 2  lim(9

 x 2 )  f (3) 0
x 3 x 3

lim 9  x 2  lim (9  x 2 )  f (3) 0


x  3 x  3

Why approach 3 from the left and –3 from the right?? Well, draw the graph
of this function and you will see WHY!?? So f is continuous on [-3, 3].
Intermediate Value Theorem
Theorem 2.7.9
Theorem 2.7.10

Example
x 3  x  1 0
Cannot be solved easily by factoring. However, by the MVT, f(1) = -1 and
f(2) = 5 implies that the equation has one solution in the interval (1,2)

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