Math 454

Homework #8 Solutions

Spring, 2010

Exercise 4.4.2. Show that f(x) = 1/x2 is uniformly continuous on [1,) but not on (0,1). Proof: |(f(x)-f(y)| = |1/x2 1/y2| = |y2 x2|/(x2y2) = |y-x|[(y+x)/(x2y2)]. As long as x and y are bigger than 1, the expression [(y+x)/(x2y2)] = 1/(x2y) + 1/(xy2) 1 + 1 = 2. So, let > 0 be given and choose = /2. Then for any x, y in [1,), we find that |f(x)-f(y)| < (/2)2 = . It follows that f is uniformly continuous on this set. If x and y get close to zero, we cannot limit the expression[(y+x)/(x2y2)], and we get into trouble. Exercise 4.4.3.Complete the proof of the Extreme Value Theorem. Proof: By preservation of compact sets by continuous functions, we know that f(K) is compact, so it contains a maximum, call it M. Then, if say f(a) = M, we have our result. Exercise 4.4.4. Show that if f is continuous on [a,b] with f(x) > 0 for all a x b, then 1/f is bounded on [a,b]. Proof: By EVT, f attains a minimum value, call it m at some point c in [a,b]. For all x in [a,b] we have m f(x). It follows that for all x in [a,b], 1/f(x) 1/m, so 1/f is bounded above by 1/m (or course it is bounded below by 0). Exercise 4.4.6 Give examples or state impossibility: (a) f continuous on (0,1) and Cauchy sequence (xn) such that f(xn) is not Cauchy. Solution: f(x) = 1/x and xn = 1/n. Then f(xn) = n, which is not Cauchy. (b) f continuous on [0,1] and Cauchy sequence (xn) such that f(xn) is not Cauchy. Solution: Not possible. [0,1] is closed, so every Cauchy sequence in [0,1] has a limit in [0,1]. If the limit is called c, then continuity of f guarantees that the sequence f(xn) must converge to f(c), and so must be Cauchy. (c) f continuous on [0,) and Cauchy sequence (xn) such that f(xn) is not Cauchy. Solution: Not possible. See part (b) above, which relied only on the closedness of [0,1]. Well, [0,) is closed, so the same argument works. (d) f continuous and bounded on (0,1) that attains a maximum value on (0,1), but not a minimum value. Solution: f(x) = x(1-x) attains a max of , but does not attain its inf.

Math 454

Homework #8 Solutions

Spring, 2010

Exercise 4.4.9. (a) Show that a Lipschitz function is uniformly continuous. Proof: We write |f(x)-f(y)| M |x-y| for our Lipschitz condition. Now let > 0 be given, and choose = /M. Then for any x, y with |x-y|< = /M, we have |f(x) f(y)| M|x-y| < M (/M) = , which is what we want. (b) Is the converse true? Are all uniformly continuous functions necessarily Lipschitz? Solution: No, consider f(x) = x on [0,1]. It is continuous on a compact set, so we know it is uniformly continuous there. But if we take x = 0 and a small y, we see that no Lipschitz constant can work. Exercise 4.5.1. Show how the IVT follows from the theorem that continuous image of a connected set is connected. Exercise 4.5.2. Decide on the validity of these conjectures: (a) Continuous functions take bounded open intervals to bounded open intervals. Nope: f(x) = x(1-x) on (0,1). Image is (0,1/4] (not open) (b) Continuous functions take bounded open intervals to open sets Nope, see (a) (c) Continuous functions take bounded closed intervals to bounded closed intervals. Yes, bounded closed intervals are compact, so the continuous image is compact, and therefore bounded and closed. Also, the continuous image of a connected set is connected, so the image is connected, closed, bounded an interval. Exercise 4.5.3. Is there a continuous function on all of the reals with range the rationals? No. If 1 and 2 (rationals if I have ever met some) are in the range, then every real between 1 and 2 are in the range (continuous image of a connected set is connected). But there are several reals between 1 and 2 that area not rational, so no.