Continuous function: Difference between revisions

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| 3 || in terms of left and right continuity || <math>f</math> is both left and right continuous at <math>c</math>.
| 3 || in terms of left and right continuity || <math>f</math> is both left and right continuous at <math>c</math>.
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| 4 || <math>\epsilon-\delta</math> || For every <math>\epsilon > 0</math>, there exists <math>\delta > 0</math> such that for all <math>x</math> satisfying <math>|x - c| < \delta</math> (i.e., <math>x \in (c - \delta,c + \delta)</math>), we have <math>|f(x) - f(c)| < \epsilon</math> (i.e., <math>f(x) \in (f(c) - \epsilon,f(c) + \epsilon)</math>).
| 4 || <math>\varepsilon-\delta</math> || For every <math>\epsilon > 0</math>, there exists <math>\delta > 0</math> such that for all <math>x</math> satisfying <math>|x - c| < \delta</math> (i.e., <math>x \in (c - \delta,c + \delta)</math>), we have <math>|f(x) - f(c)| < \epsilon</math> (i.e., <math>f(x) \in (f(c) - \epsilon,f(c) + \epsilon)</math>).
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| 4' || <math>\epsilon-\delta</math> (variant) || For every <math>\epsilon > 0</math>, there exists <math>\delta > 0</math> such that for all <math>x</math> satisfying <math>0 < |x - c| < \delta</math> (i.e., <math>x \in (c - \delta,c + \delta) \setminus \{ c \}</math>), we have <math>|f(x) - f(c)| < \epsilon</math> (i.e., <math>f(x) \in (f(c) - \epsilon,f(c) + \epsilon)</math>).
| 4' || <math>\varepsilon-\delta</math> (variant) || For every <math>\epsilon > 0</math>, there exists <math>\delta > 0</math> such that for all <math>x</math> satisfying <math>0 < |x - c| < \delta</math> (i.e., <math>x \in (c - \delta,c + \delta) \setminus \{ c \}</math>), we have <math>|f(x) - f(c)| < \epsilon</math> (i.e., <math>f(x) \in (f(c) - \epsilon,f(c) + \epsilon)</math>).
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| 5 || in terms of centered open balls (same as <math>\epsilon-\delta</math> without the symbols)|| For every open ball (i.e., [[open interval]]) centered at <math>f(c)</math>, there is an open ball (i.e., [[open interval]]) centered at <math>c</math> such that the image of the open ball centered at <math>c</math> lies inside the open ball centered at <math>f(c)</math>. <toggledisplay>The ''open ball'' centered at <math>f(c)</math> is the interval <math>(f(c) - \epsilon,f(c) + \epsilon)</math> and the ''open ball'' centered at <math>c</math> is the interval <math>(c - \delta, c + \delta)</math>.</toggledisplay>
| 5 || in terms of centered open balls (same as <math>\epsilon-\delta</math> without the symbols)|| For every open ball (i.e., [[open interval]]) centered at <math>f(c)</math>, there is an open ball (i.e., [[open interval]]) centered at <math>c</math> such that the image of the open ball centered at <math>c</math> lies inside the open ball centered at <math>f(c)</math>. <toggledisplay>The ''open ball'' centered at <math>f(c)</math> is the interval <math>(f(c) - \epsilon,f(c) + \epsilon)</math> and the ''open ball'' centered at <math>c</math> is the interval <math>(c - \delta, c + \delta)</math>.</toggledisplay>

Revision as of 22:20, 3 October 2012

Definition for functions of one variable

At a point

Consider a function and a real number such that is defined in an open interval containing . We say that is continuous at if it satisfies the following equivalent definitions:

No. Shorthand What the definition says
1 in terms of limits . In words, the limit of as exists and equals the value of the function at .
2 in terms of one-sided limits . In words, the left hand limit of at , the right hand limit of at , and the value of at are all equal.
3 in terms of left and right continuity is both left and right continuous at .
4 For every , there exists such that for all satisfying (i.e., ), we have (i.e., ).
4' (variant) For every , there exists such that for all satisfying (i.e., ), we have (i.e., ).
5 in terms of centered open balls (same as without the symbols) For every open ball (i.e., open interval) centered at , there is an open ball (i.e., open interval) centered at such that the image of the open ball centered at lies inside the open ball centered at . [SHOW MORE]
6 in terms of not necessarily centered open balls For every open ball (i.e., open interval) containing , there is an open ball containing such that the image of the open ball containing lies inside the open ball containing .

On an interval

Consider an interval, which may be open or closed at either end, and may stretch to on the left or on the right. A function from such an interval to the real numbers is termed continuous if it satisfies the following two conditions:

  1. It is continuous (in the sense of continuous at a point) at all points in the interior of the interval, i.e., all points such that there is an open ball containing the point lying inside the domain interval.
  2. It has the appropriate one-sided continuity at endpoints: If the interval has a left endpoint (e.g., the interval is of the form , , or , then it must be right continuous at the left endpoint ( in all three example intervals). If the interval has a right endpoint (e.g., the interval is of the form , , or ), then it must be left continuous at the right endpoint ( in all three example intervals).