<< Chapter < Page Chapter >> Page >

Determine where the function f ( x ) = { π x 4 ,    x < 2 π x ,      2 x 6 2 π x ,    x > 6 is discontinuous.

x = 6

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

Determining whether a function is continuous

To determine whether a piecewise function    is continuous or discontinuous, in addition to checking the boundary points, we must also check whether each of the functions that make up the piecewise function is continuous.

Given a piecewise function, determine whether it is continuous.

  1. Determine whether each component function of the piecewise function is continuous. If there are discontinuities, do they occur within the domain where that component function is applied?
  2. For each boundary point x = a of the piecewise function, determine if each of the three conditions hold.

Determining whether a piecewise function is continuous

Determine whether the function below is continuous. If it is not, state the location and type of each discontinuity.

f x = { sin ( x ) , x < 0 x 3 , x > 0

The two functions composing this piecewise function are f ( x ) = sin ( x ) on x < 0 and f ( x ) = x 3 on x > 0. The sine function and all polynomial functions are continuous everywhere. Any discontinuities would be at the boundary point,

At x = 0 , let us check the three conditions of continuity.

Condition 1:

f ( 0 )  does not exist . Condition 1 fails .

Because all three conditions are not satisfied at x = 0 , the function f ( x ) is discontinuous at x = 0.

Got questions? Get instant answers now!
Got questions? Get instant answers now!

Access these online resources for additional instruction and practice with continuity.

Key concepts

  • A continuous function can be represented by a graph without holes or breaks.
  • A function whose graph has holes is a discontinuous function.
  • A function is continuous at a particular number if three conditions are met:
    • Condition 1: f ( a ) exists.
    • Condition 2: lim x a f ( x ) exists at x = a .
    • Condition 3: lim x a f ( x ) = f ( a ) .
  • A function has a jump discontinuity if the left- and right-hand limits are different, causing the graph to “jump.”
  • A function has a removable discontinuity if it can be redefined at its discontinuous point to make it continuous. See [link] .
  • Some functions, such as polynomial functions, are continuous everywhere. Other functions, such as logarithmic functions, are continuous on their domain. See [link] and [link] .
  • For a piecewise function to be continuous each piece must be continuous on its part of the domain and the function as a whole must be continuous at the boundaries. See [link] and [link] .

Section exercises

Verbal

State in your own words what it means for a function f to be continuous at x = c .

Informally, if a function is continuous at x = c , then there is no break in the graph of the function at f ( c ) , and f ( c ) is defined.

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

State in your own words what it means for a function to be continuous on the interval ( a , b ) .

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

Algebraic

For the following exercises, determine why the function f is discontinuous at a given point a on the graph. State which condition fails.

f ( x ) = ln   |   x + 3   | , a = 3

discontinuous at a = 3 ; f ( 3 ) does not exist

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

f ( x ) = ln   |   5 x 2   | , a = 2 5

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

f ( x ) = x 2 16 x + 4 , a = 4

removable discontinuity at a = 4 ; f ( 4 ) is not defined

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

f ( x ) = x 2 16 x x , a = 0

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

f ( x ) = { x ,     x 3 2 x , x = 3   a = 3

Discontinuous at a = 3 ; lim x 3 f ( x ) = 3 , but f ( 3 ) = 6 , which is not equal to the limit.

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

Questions & Answers

summarize halerambos & holbon
David Reply
the Three stages of Auguste Comte
Clementina Reply
what are agents of socialization
Antonio Reply
sociology of education
Nuhu Reply
definition of sociology of education
Nuhu
what is culture
Abdulrahim Reply
shared beliefs, values, and practices
AI-Robot
What are the two type of scientific method
ogunniran Reply
I'm willing to join you
Aceng Reply
what are the scientific method of sociology
Man
what is socialization
ogunniran Reply
the process wherein people come to understand societal norms and expectations, to accept society's beliefs, and to be aware of societal values
AI-Robot
scientific method in doing research
ogunniran
defimition of sickness in afica
Anita
Cosmology
ogunniran
Hmmm
ogunniran
list and explain the terms that found in society
REMMY Reply
list and explain the terms that found in society
Mukhtar
what are the agents of socialization
Antonio
Family Peer group Institution
Abdulwajud
I mean the definition
Antonio
ways of perceived deviance indifferent society
Naomi Reply
reasons of joining groups
SAM
to bring development to the nation at large
Hyellafiya
entails of consultative and consensus building from others
Gadama
World first Sociologist?
Abu
What is evolutionary model
Muhammad Reply
Evolution models refer to mathematical and computational representations of the processes involved in biological evolution. These models aim to simulate and understand how species change over time through mechanisms such as natural selection, genetic drift, and mutation. Evolutionary models can be u
faruk
what are the modern trends in religious behaviours
Selekeye Reply
what are social norms
Daniel Reply
shared standards of acceptable behavior by the group or appropriate behavior in a particular institution or those behaviors that are acceptable in a society
Lucius
that is how i understood it
Lucius
examples of societal norms
Diamond
Discuss the characteristics of the research located within positivist and the interpretivist paradigm
Tariro Reply
what is Industrialisation
Selekeye Reply
industrialization
Angelo
Got questions? Join the online conversation and get instant answers!
Jobilize.com Reply
Practice Key Terms 4

Get Jobilize Job Search Mobile App in your pocket Now!

Get it on Google Play Download on the App Store Now




Source:  OpenStax, Precalculus. OpenStax CNX. Jan 19, 2016 Download for free at https://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11667/1.6
Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google Inc.

Notification Switch

Would you like to follow the 'Precalculus' conversation and receive update notifications?

Ask