Piecewise Continuous Functions

A piecewise continuous function is a function that is broken up into a finite number of

“pieces,” where each piece is continuous within its domain. The function as a whole is
considered continuous except at a finite number of points, which are the points where
the function “breaks” from one piece to another.

Definition

A function f(x) is said to be piecewise continuous on an interval [a,b] if there exists a

finite set of points {c_1, c_2, ..., c_n} in [a, b] such that:

 The function f(x) is continuous on [a,b] except possibly at the points c_1, c_2, ...,
c_n.
 The left-hand limit and right-hand limit of f(x) exist at every point in [a,b].

In set builder notation, this can be written as:

{c ∈ [a, b] : lim_{x → c⁻} f(x) and lim_{x → c⁺} f(x) exist}

Example

Consider the function

f(x) = { x if x ≤ 0 x^2 if x > 0 }

This function is piecewise continuous because it is made up of two pieces:

f(x) = x for x ≤ 0 and f(x) = x^2 for x > 0.

Each piece is continuous within its domain, and the function as a whole only “breaks” at
x = 0. At this point, the left-hand limit (which is 0) and the right-hand limit (which is also
0) both exist, so the function is piecewise continuous.

Conditions for Piecewise Continuity

A function is said to be a piecewise continuous function if it satisfies two conditions:

 Finite number of breaks: A break in a function occurs when the function

changes its behavior abruptly, such as a jump or a sharp corner. A piecewise
continuous function can have a finite number of these breaks, but it cannot have
an infinite number of them.
 Does not blow up to infinity anywhere: This condition means that the function
remains bounded and does not approach infinity at any point in its domain. In
other words, as we move along the domain of the function, the function values do
not become arbitrarily large.

To illustrate these concepts, let’s consider an example. Suppose we have the following
piecewise function:

f(x) = { x + 2 for x < 0 1/x for x > 0 }

In this example, the function has a single break at x = 0, where it transitions from the
expression x + 2 to the expression 1/x. This break is finite since it involves a change in
the expression but does not result in an infinite jump.

Furthermore, the function does not blow up to infinity anywhere. As x approaches

negative infinity, the function approaches negative infinity as well. As x approaches
positive infinity, the expression 1/x approaches zero, so the function approaches zero.

To summarize, the function f(x) = x + 2 for x < 0 and f(x) = 1/x for x > 0 is a piecewise
continuous function because it has a finite number of breaks (one break at x = 0) and it
does not blow up to infinity anywhere.