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MATH 1013 Calculus I (Self-Read Materials)

Yichao Zhu
Department of Mathematics, HKUST

Yichao Zhu Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1013 Calculus I (Self-Read Materials)

Real Numbers
I

To prepare yourself for Calculus study.

To recoganise real numbers in a systematic way.

To remember the approaches used to solve inequalities.

Yichao Zhu Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1013 Calculus I (Self-Read Materials)

Numbers
Decimal Representation

We start from integers,

, 2, 1, 0, 1, 2, .

Rational numbers are ratios of integers. Any rational number

r can be expressed as r = m/n, where m and n are integers
and n 6= 0. Examples are 1/2, 0.17 = 17/100, 3/7.
Irrational numbers can not be expressed as a ratio of integers.
For example,

3
3, 2, , sin 1 , .

Rational and irrational numbers are both real numbers, the set
of which is usually denoted by the symbol R. When we use the
word number without qualification, we mean real number.

Question
What types of real numbers can be precisely expressed by
computers?
Yichao Zhu Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1013 Calculus I (Self-Read Materials)

The corresponding decimal of a rational number is repeating:

1
= 0.50000 . . . = 0.50
2

157
= 0.3171717 . . . = 0.317.
495

The decimal of an irrational is nonrepeating:

2 = 1.414213562373095 . . . = 3.141592653589793 . . .

If we stop the decimal expansion of any number at a certain

place, we get an approximation to the number e.g.
3.14159265.
The symbol is read is approximately equal to. The more
decimal places we retain, the better the approximation we get.

Yichao Zhu Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1013 Calculus I (Self-Read Materials)

The Real Number Line

Numbers

The real numbers can be represented by points on a line (known as

the real number line) as in the figure.

More Properties About Real Numbers

Elements of a Real Number Line

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Positive direction - indicated by an arrow (to the right).

Origin - an arbitrary reference point O referring to the real

number 0.

Unit - with it each positive number x is represented by the

point on the line a distance of x units to the right of the
origin, and each negative number x is represented by the
point x units to the left of the origin.

Yichao Zhu Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1013 Calculus I (Self-Read Materials)

Set

Every number is represented by a point on the line, and every

point P on the line corresponds to exactly one real number.

The number associated with the point P is called the

coordinate of P and the line is then called a coordinate line,
or a real number line, or simply a real line.

The real numbers are ordered. We say a is less than b and

write a < b if b a is a positive number. Geometrically this
means that a lies to the left of b on t he number line.
(Equivalently, we say b is greater than a and write b > a.)

The symbol a b (or b a) means that either a < b or

a = b and is read a is less than or equal to b.

Yichao Zhu Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1013 Calculus I (Self-Read Materials)

Set
A set is a collection of objects, and these objects are called the
elements of the set.

Symbols Associated with Sets

I

Representation
I

If S is a set, the notation a S means that a is an element of

S, and a 6 S means that a is not an element of S. For
example, if Z represents the set of integers, then 3 Z but
6 Z .

If S and T are sets, then their union S T is the set

consisting of all elements that are in S or T (or in both S and
T ).
The intersection of S and T is the set S T consisting of all
elements that are in both S and T . In other words, S T is
the common part of S and T .

Some sets can be described by listing their elements between

braces. For instance, the set A consisting of all positive
integers less than 7 can be written as
A = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}

We could also write A in set-builder notation as

A={

x
|{z}

representing element

| x is an integer and 0 < x < 7}

|
{z
}
description

Certain sets of real numbers, called intervals, occur frequently

in calculus and correspond geometrically to line segments.

The empty set, denoted by , is the set that contains no element.

Yichao Zhu Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1013 Calculus I (Self-Read Materials)

Yichao Zhu Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1013 Calculus I (Self-Read Materials)

Intervals

Intervals
Intervals (Contd)
I

Intervals
I

If a < b, the open interval from a to b consists of all numbers

between a and b and is denoted by the symbol (a, b). Using
the set-builder notation, we can write

The closed interval from a to b is the set

[a, b] = {x|a x b}.
The endpoints of the interval are included (denoted by [ ]).

(a, b) = {x|a < x < b}

Notice that the end points of the interval - namely, a and b are excluded (denoted by ( )).

We also need to consider infinite intervals such as

(a, ) = {x|x > a}
This does not mean that (infinity) is a number. The
notation (a, ) stands for the set of all numbers that are
greater than a, so the symbol simply indicates that the
interval extends indefinitely far in the positive direction.

Yichao Zhu Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1013 Calculus I (Self-Read Materials)

Intervals

Yichao Zhu Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1013 Calculus I (Self-Read Materials)

Inequalities and Example 1

Intervals (Contd)

Inequalities
I

When working with inequalities, note the following rules.

Example
Solve the inequality 1 + x < 7x + 5.
Yichao Zhu Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1013 Calculus I (Self-Read Materials)

Yichao Zhu Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1013 Calculus I (Self-Read Materials)

Example 1

Example 2

Solution
To solve an inequality means to determine the set of numbers x for
which the inequality is true. That is called the solution set. We
have
1 + x < 7x + 5
x < 7x + 4

Rule 1 with c = -1

Example
Solve the inequalities 4 3x 2 < 13.

Solution
Using the rules given

6x < 4

Rule 1 with c = -7x

4
2
1
x > =
Rule 4 with c =
6
3
6
These steps can all be reversed, so the solution set consists of all
numbers greater than 2/3. In other words, the solution of the
inequality is the interval ( 32 , ).

Yichao Zhu Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1013 Calculus I (Self-Read Materials)

Example 3

4 3x 2 < 13
6 3x < 15
2x <5
Therefore the solution set is [2, 5).

Yichao Zhu Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1013 Calculus I (Self-Read Materials)

Example 3

Example

Solution - contd

Solve the inequality x 2 5x + 6 0.

Solution

Factorize the left hand side (x 2)(x 3) 0 The corresponding

equation (x 2)(x 3) = 0 has solutions 2 and 3. The numbers 2
and 3 divide the real line into three intervals:
(, 2)

(2, 3)

(3, )

On each of these intervals we determine the signs of the factors

Another method for obtaining the information in the chart is to

use test values. For instance, if we use the test value x = 1 for the
interval (, 2), then the substitution in x 2 5x + 6 gives
12 5(1) + 6 = 2. The polynomial x 2 5x + 6 doesnt change
sign inside any of the three intervals, so we conclude that it is
positive on (, 2).
Then from the chart (x 2)(x
3) is negative when 2 < x < 3.
Thus the solution of the inequality (x 2)(x 3) 0 is
{x|2 x 3} = [2, 3]

Yichao Zhu Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1013 Calculus I (Self-Read Materials)

Yichao Zhu Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1013 Calculus I (Self-Read Materials)

Example 4

Absolute Value

Example

The absolute value of a number a, denoted by |a|, is the distance

from a to 0 on the real number line. For example,

Solve x 3 + 3x 2 > 4x.

Solution
Move all nonzero terms to one side of the inequality sign and
factorise the resulting expression
x 3 + 3x 2 4x > 0 or x(x 1)(x + 4) > 0
Zeros are x = 4, 0, 1, which divide the real line into four
intervals.

| 3| = 3, |0| = 0, |3 | = 3.

Properties
I
I
I

Thus the solution is {x| 4 < x < 0 or x > 1} = (4, 0) (1, ).

Yichao Zhu Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1013 Calculus I (Self-Read Materials)

Example 5

|a| 0 for every number 0.

|a| = a if a 0; |a| = a if a < 0.

Recall that the symbol

means the positive square root
of. In general, we have

a2 = |a|.

Yichao Zhu Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1013 Calculus I (Self-Read Materials)

Absolute Values
Properties of absolute values

Example

Suppose a and b are any real numbers and n is an integer. Then

Express |3x 2| without using the absolute-value symbol.

Solution

(
3x 2
if
|3x 2| =
(3x 2) if
(
3x 2
if x
=
2 3x
if x

3x 2 0
3x 2 < 0

<

2
3
2
3

For solving equations or inequalities involving absolute values, its

often very helpful to use the following statements. Suppose a > 0.
Then
I
I
I

Yichao Zhu Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1013 Calculus I (Self-Read Materials)

|ab| = |a||b|
 a  |a|
 
where (b 6= 0)
 =
b
|b|
|an | = |a|n

|x| = a if and only if x = a.

|x| < a if and only if a < x < a.

|x| > a if and only if x > a or x < a.

Yichao Zhu Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1013 Calculus I (Self-Read Materials)

Example 6

Example 6
Solution - Part 2

Example

(ii) |x 5| < 2 is equivalent to

Solve

2 < x 5 < 2

(i) |2x 5| = 3

(ii) |x 5| < 2

The solution set is the open interval (3, 7).

(iii) |3x + 2| 4

(iii) |3x + 2| 4 is equivalent to

Solution - Part 1

3x + 2 4

(i) |2x 5| = 3 is equivalent to

2x 5 = 3

or

2x 5 = 3

MATH 1013 Calculus I (Self-Read Materials)

Numbers, inequalities and absolute values

3x + 2 4

In the first case 3x 2, which gives x 32 . In the second

case 3x 6, which gives x 2. So the solution set is


2
2
{x|x 2 or x } = (, 2] ,
3
3

So 2x = 8 or 2x = 2. Thus x = 4 or x = 1.

Yichao Zhu Department of Mathematics, HKUST

or

Yichao Zhu Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1013 Calculus I (Self-Read Materials)

Homework

The triangle inequality

If a and b are any real numbers, then |a + b| |a| + |b|.
Proof is not difficult and can be found in the textbook.

Example
If |x 4| < 0.1 and |y 7| < 0.2, use the Triangle Inequality to
estimate |(x + y ) 11|.

Solution

Web of Work
I

Worksheet 1 (deadline: 16-SEP-2014)

In order to use the given information, we use the Triangle

Inequality with a = x 4 and b = y 7:
|(x + y ) 11| = |(x 4) + (y 7)|
|x 4| + |y 7|
< 0.1 + 0.2 = 0.3

Thus |(x + y ) 11| < 0.3.

Yichao Zhu Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1013 Calculus I (Self-Read Materials)

Yichao Zhu Department of Mathematics, HKUST

MATH 1013 Calculus I (Self-Read Materials)