Continuity

5.1.1 Definition Let A ~JR, let/: A --+ JR, and let c EA. We say that/is continuous at
c if, given any number e > 0, there exists 8 > 0 such that if x is any point of A satisfying
Ix - cl < 8, then l/(x) - /(c)I < e.
If f fails to be continuous at c, then we say that/ is discontinuous at c.
5.1.2 Theorem A function f : A--+ JR is continuous at a point c EA if and only if given
any s-neighborhood Vi:(f(c)) of f(c) there exists a 8-neighborhood V8(c) of c such that if
xis any point of An V~(c), then f(x) belongs to Vi:(f(c)), that is,
f(A n V~(c)) ~ Vc(f(c)).
5.1.3 Sequential Criterion for Continuity A function f : A --+ JR is continuous at the
point c E A if and only iffor every sequence (x11) in A that converges to c, the sequence
(f(x,,)) converges to f(c).
5.1.4 Discontinuity Criterion Let A ~ JR, let f : A --+ JR, and let c E A. Then f is
discontinuous at c if and only if there exists a sequence (x,,) in A such that (x,,) converges
to c, but the sequence (f(x,,)) does not converge to f(c).
5.1.5 Definition Let A ~ JR and let f : A --+ JR. If B is a subset of A, we say that f is
continuous on the set B if f is continuous at every point of B.
5.2.1 Theorem Let A ~ JR, let f and g be functions on A to JR, and let b E JR. Suppose
that c EA and that f and g are continuous at c.
(a) Then f + g, f - g, ts. and bf are continuous at c.
(b) If h : A --+ JR is continuous at c EA and if h(x) =/= 0 for all x EA, then the quotient
f / h is continuous at c.
5.2.2 Theorem

Let A ~ JR, let f and g be continuous on A to JR, and let b E R

(a) The functions f + g, f - g, f g, and bf are continuous on A.

(b) If h : A --+JR is continuous on A and h(x) =/= 0 for x EA, then the quotient f/h is
continuous on A.
5.2.4 Theorem
x EA.

Let A ~JR, let f: A --+IR, and let

(a) If f is continuous at a point c E A, then

(b) If f is continuous on A, then

Ill

Ill

l!I be defined by l!l(x)

is continuous at c.
is continuous on A.

:=

lf(x)lfor

5.2.5 Theorem Let A ~JR, letf: A--+ JR, and letf(x) ~ Ofor all x EA. We let../! be
definedfor x EA by ( ../l)(x) := Vi{X).
(a) If f is continuous at a point c E A, then ../! is continuous al c.
(b) If f is continuous on A, then ../!is continuous on A.

5.2.6 Theorem Let A, B ~ JR and let f : A ---+ JR and g : B ---+ JR be functions such that
f(A) ~ B. /ff is continuous at a point c EA and g is continuous at b
composition g of : A ---+ JR is continuous at c.

= f(c) E B, then the

5.2.7 Theorem Let A, B ~IR, let f: A ---+JR be continuous on A, and let g : B---+ IR be
continuous on B. If f(A) ~ B, then the compositefunctiong of: A ---+ R is continuous on A.
5.3.1 Definition A function f : A ---+ IR is said to be bounded on
constant M > 0 such that lf(x)I ~ M for all x EA.
5.3.2 Boundedness Theoremt Let I

:=

A if there exists a

[a, b] be a closed bounded interval and let

f: I ---+ JR be continuous on /. Then f is bounded on I.

5.3.3 Definition Let A ~ JR and let/: A ---+JR. We say that/ has an absolute maximum
on A if there is a point x* EA such that
f(x*) ~ f(x)

for all

x EA.

We say that f has an absolute minimum on A if there is a point x, E A such that

f(x.) ~f(x)

for all

x EA.

We say that x" is an absolute maximum point for f on A, and that x, is an absolute
minimum point for f on A, if they exist.

5.3.4 Maximum-Minimum Theorem Let I := [a, b] be a closed bounded interval and

let f : I ---+ IR be continuous on I. Then f has an absolute maximum and an absolute
minimum on I.

5.3.5 Location of Roots Theorem Let I= (a. b) and let f: I ---+JR be continuous on I. If
f(a) < 0 <f(b), or iff(a) > 0 > f(b), then there exists a number c E (a,b) such that
f(c) = 0.

5.3.7 Bolzano's Intermediate Value Theorem let I be an interval and letf : I ---+ JR be
continuous on/. If a. b E I and if k E JR satisjiesf(a)
c EI between a and b such that f(c) = k.

<k

<f(b ), then there exists a point

5.3.8 Corollary
continuous on I.

Let I= [a. b] be a closed, bounded interval and let f: I~

E IR is any number satisfying

IR be

If k

inf!(!) ~ k ~ supf(/),
then there exists a number c EI such that f(c) = k.
5.3.9 Theorem Let I be a closed bounded interval and let f: I ~ IR be continuous on I.
Then the set f(I) := {f(x) : x EI} is a closed bounded interval.
5.3.10 Preservation of Intervals Theorem Let I be an interval and let f : I ~ IR be
continuous on I. Then the set f(l) is an interval.
5.4.1 Definition Let A ~IR and let/: A~ IR. We say that/ is uniformly continuous
on A if for each a > 0 there is a 8( a) > 0 such that if x. u E A are any numbers satisfying
Ix - ul < 8(a), then lf(x) - f(u)I <a.
5.4.2 Nonuniform Continuity Criteria Let A ~ IR and let f : A ~ IR. Then the following statements are equivalent:
(i)
(ii)

f is not uniformly continuous on A.

There exists an eo > 0 such that for every 8 > 0 there are points xs, us in A such that
lxo - uol < 8 and lf(xo) - f(uo)I ~so.
(iii) There exists an a0 > 0 and two sequences (x,,) and (u,,) in A such that lim(x11 un) = 0 and lf(x,,) - f(u,,)I ~ eo for all n EN.

5.4.3 Uniform Continuity Theorem Let I be a closed bounded interval and let
f: I~ IR be continuous on I. Then f is uniformly continuous on I.
5.4.7 Theorem /ff: A ~IR is uniformlycontinuous on a subset A of JR and if (x11) is a
Cauchy sequence in A, then (f(x11)) is a Cauchy sequence in R
5.4.8 Continuous Extension Theorem A function f is uniformly continuous on the
interval (a, b) if and only if it can be defined at the endpoints a and b such that the extended function is continuous on [a, b].
5.6.1 Theorem Let I ~ IR be an interval and let f : I ~ IR be increasing on I. Suppose
that c E I is not an endpoint of I. Then
(i)
(ii)

lim f = sup{f(x) : x E /. x < c},

x~c-

lim f = inf{J(x):

x~c+

x E /. x > c}.

5.6.2 Corollary Let I ~ IR. be an interval and letf: I~ IR. be increasing on I. Suppose
that c EI is not an endpoint of I. Then the following statements are equivalent.
(a) f is continuous at c.
(b) lim f = f(c) = lim f.
X--+C-

(c) sup{f(x):

x~c+

x E l, x

<

c} =f(c) = inf{f(x):

x E l, x

>

c].

If f : I ~ IR. is increasing on I and if c is not an endpoint of/, we define the jump off
at c to be J1(c) := lim f - lim f. (See Figure 5.6.1.) It follows from Theorem 5.6.1
that
x-c+
x-cJ1(c) = inf{f(x):

x E /1 x

> c} -

sup{f(x):

x E l, x

< c}

for an increasing function. If the left endpoint a of I belongs to/, we define the jump off at
a to be11(a) := [im f - f(a). If the right endpoint b of I belongs to/, we define the jump
-~-a+
off at b to beJ1(b) :=f(b) -.J~rr,J_f.

5.6.3 Theorem Let I ~ IR. be an interval and let f : I ~ IR. be increasing on /. If c

then f is continuous at c

if and

only

if iJ(c)

E I,

= 0.

5.6.5 Continuous Inverse Theorem Let I ~ IR. be an interval and let f : I ~ IR be

strictly monotone and continuous on I. Then the function g inverse to fis strictly monotone
and continuous on J := f(I).