2.

3 Continuity

Grand Canyon, Arizona

Photo by Vickie Kelly, 2002 Greg Kelly, Hanford High School, Richland, Washington
Most of the techniques of calculus require that functions
be continuous. A function is continuous if you can draw it
in one motion without picking up your pencil.

A function is continuous at a point if the limit is the same

as the value of the function.

This function has discontinuities

2 at x=1 and x=2.
1
It is continuous at x=0 and x=4,
1 2 3 4 because the one-sided limits
match the value of the function


Removable Discontinuities:

(You can fill the hole.)

Essential Discontinuities:

jump infinite oscillating


Removing a discontinuity:

x3  1
f  x  2 has a discontinuity at x  1 .
x 1
Write an extended function that is continuous
at x  1 .

x3  1  x  1  x 2  x  1 1  1  1 3
lim 2  lim  
x 1 x  1 x 1  x  1 x  1 2 2

 x3  1
 x 2  1 , x  1 Note: There is another
f  x   discontinuity at x  1 that can
 3 , x 1 not be removed.
 2
Removing a discontinuity:

 x3  1
 x 2  1 , x  1 Note: There is another
f  x   discontinuity at x  1 that can
 3 , x 1 not be removed.
 2


Continuous functions can be added, subtracted, multiplied,
divided and multiplied by a constant, and the new function
remains continuous.

Also: Composites of continuous functions are continuous.

examples: y  sin  x 2  y  cos x


 Intermediate Value Theorem

If a function is continuous between a and b, then it takes

on every value between f  a  and f b  .

f b 
Because the function is
continuous, it must take on
every y value between f  a 
f a  and f b  .
a b


Example 5: Is any real number exactly one less than its cube?
(Note that this doesn’t ask what the number is, only if it exists.)

x  x3  1 f 1  1 f 2  5

0  x3  x  1 Since f is a continuous function, by the

intermediate value theorem it must
f  x   x3  x  1 take on every value between -1 and 5.
Therefore there must be at least one
solution between 1 and 2.

Use your calculator to find an approximate solution.

solve  x  x 3  1, x  1.32472
F2 1: solve 
Graphing calculators can sometimes make non-
continuous functions appear continuous.
Graph: y  floor  x 

CATALOG F floor(

This example was graphed

on the classic TI-89. You
can not change the
Note resolution. resolution on the Titanium
Edition.

The calculator “connects the dots”

which covers up the discontinuities. 
 Graphing calculators can make non-continuous
functions appear continuous.
Graph: y  floor  x 

CATALOG F floor(

If we change the plot style

to “dot” and the resolution
to 1, then we get a graph
that is closer to the
correct floor graph.

The open and closed circles do not

show, but weGRAPH
can see the
discontinuities. 