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The algebra of inequalities was now there for the calculus to be reduced to; that the calculus
rigorous had risen through consolidation, philosophy, teaching, Lagrange. Cauchy had to work out for
himself in order to define and prove theorems about, limit, convergence, continuity, derivatives, and
integrals. The work of L’Huilier and Lacroix on alternating series was systematically translated by Cauchy
this refined limit-concept into the algebra of inequalities and used it proofs: he gave the statement that the
calculus could be based on limits. Maclaurin had said that the sum of a series was the limit of partial sums
that this was meant something for Cauchy. He assumed that if a series of positive terms is bounded above,
Cauchy gave the modern definition of continuous function that the function f(x) is continuous on a given
interval “the numerical value of the difference f(x+a) – f(x) decreases indefinitely with a.” He proved the
intermediate value theorem for continuous functions using this definition. Cauchy’s treatment both of
convergence and of continuity, implicitly assumed various forms of the completeness property for the real
numbers. He treated as obvious that a series of positive terms bounded above by a convergent geometric
progression, converges. He was the first to exploit inequality proof technique to prove theorems in analysis.
Lagrange gave the following inequality about the derivative: f(x + h) = f(x) + hf’(x) + hV. He interpreted
this to mean that given any D, one can find h sufficiently small so that V is between –D and +D. Lagrange
believe that any function had a unique power expansion because he believes that there was an “algebra of
infinite series” and Lagrange also said that the easiest way to make the calculus rigorous was to reduce ti
to algebra.
Lagrange state property and the associated inequalities he used them as basis of proofs about
derivatives;
With few modifications Lagrange’s proofs are valid. Cauchy then made some improvements basing them
on his own; he defined the derivative precisely to satisfy the relevant of inequalities.
The last of the concepts we shall consider the integral followed an analogous development. The
integral was usually thought as the inverse of the differential. Cauchy did not like formalistic arguments,
saying that most algebraic formulas hold “only under the certain conditions and for the certain values of the
quantities they contain.” Borrowing from Lagrange the mean value theorem for integrals, Cauchy proved