Question Sheet 2, Continuity v2.

1. Sketch the following functions of x ∈ R and indicate their discontinu-

ities.

(i) [x] , the greatest integer less than or equal to x,

1
(ii) x − [x] − ,
2
√ 
(iii) x , x > 0,
p
(iv) [x], x > 0,
1
(v)  1  , 0 < x ≤ 1.
x

2. Let
x2 − 2x − 15
f (x) = , x 6= −3.
x+3
How should f (−3) be defined so that f is continuous at −3?

3. Prove, by verifying the ε − δ definition that h (x) = |x| is continuous

at x = 0.
Deduce that h is continuous on R.

4. Prove, by verifying the ε − δ definition that

(i) f (x) = x2 is continuous on R,

√
(ii) g (x) = x is continuous on (0, ∞) .
(iii) 
x2 + x
√ for x ≤ 1
h (x) =
x+3 for x > 1,
is continuous at x = 1.
(iv)
1
x2 +1
is continuous on R.

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5. Are the following functions continuous on the domains given or not?
Either prove that they are by using the appropriate continuity rules,
or show they are not.
i)
x+2
f (x) = on R.
x2 + 1
ii)
3 + 2x
g (x) = ,
x2 − 1
firstly on [−1/2, 1/2], secondly on [−2, 2] .

iii)
x2 + x − 2
h (x) = on R.
(x2 + 1) (x − 1)

iv) 
 x+2 if x < −1
j (x) = x2 if − 1 ≤ x ≤ 1 .
x−2 if x > 1


v)
 sin x x 6= 0


k (x) = x .
1 x=0


vi)
1 − sin x
` (x) = on R.
ex
6. Using
cos (x + y) = cos x cos y − sin x sin y,
for all x, y ∈ R, prove that
(i) cos x is continuous on R,
(ii) tan x is continuous for all x 6= π/2 + kπ, k ∈ Z.

7. Show that the hyperbolic functions sinh x, cosh x and tanh x are con-
tinuous on R.

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 8. State the Composite Rule for functions.
(i) Evaluate  
sin x
lim exp .
x→0 x

(ii) Prove that  

 x+2 
 
 x2 + 1 

is continuous on R.

9. State the Intermediate Value Theorem

Give an example of a strictly increasing function f on [0, 1] and a value
γ : f (0) < γ < f (1) for which there is not a c ∈ [0, 1] with f (c) = γ.

10. Show that

i)
1
ex =
x
has a solution in [0, 1] .

ii) ex = 4x2 has at least three real solutions

iii)
2 cos2 x + 3 cos x + 1 = 2x2 + 3x + 1
has a solution in [0, π/2] .

iv)
x 1
+ =π
sin x cos x
has a solution with x ∈ (0, π/2) .

11. i) Prove a version of the Fixed Point Theorem. If f, g : [a, b] → [a, b]

are continuous functions such that f (a) ≥ g (a) and f (b) ≤ g (b) then
there exists c ∈ [a, b] such that f (c) = g (c).

Hint: Consider h (x) = f (x) − g (x).

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12. Recall the result in the notes that a continuous function on a closed
interval is bounded.

Give examples of

i) A function on a closed interval that is not bounded.

ii) A continuous function on (−1, 1) with range (−∞, ∞), (and
thus is not bounded).
iii) A function on [0, 1] that does not attain its bounds.

13. (i) Show that

1
f (x) =
x2 +1
is bounded for all x ∈ R. Does it attain its bounds?

(ii) Show that

x
f (x) =
x2 +1
is bounded for all x ∈ R. Does it attain its bounds?

(iii) Sketch the graphs of both functions.

Hint: Expand and rearrange the inequalities

(x − 1)2 ≥ 0 and (x + 1)2 ≥ 0.

14. Prove that

(i) for all n ∈ N, with n even, then xn is strictly increasing on [0, ∞),

(ii) for all n ∈ N, with n even, then xn is not strictly increasing on R,

(iii) for all n ∈ N, with n odd, then xn is strictly increasing on R.

Hint: use the factorization

xn1 − xn2 = (x1 − x2 ) x1n−1 + x2 xn−2 + x22 x1n−3 + ... + x2n−2 x1 + xn−1


1 2

and show that if x1 > x2 then both factors on the right are of the
same sign and neither is zero. In (iii) it might help to look at 3 cases,
x1 > x2 ≥ 0, x1 > 0 > x2 and 0 ≥ x1 > x2 .

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15. Prove that the hyperbolic functions sinh x and tanh x are strictly in-
creasing on R while cosh x is strictly increasing on [0, ∞).

Hint. Prove that

sinh (x + y) > sinh x
for all x ∈ R and y > 0, and

cosh (x + y) > cosh x

for all x, y > 0.

16. State the Inverse Function Theorem.

Explain how to define the inverse functions

i) sinh−1 : R → R,

ii) cosh−1 : [1, ∞) → [0, ∞).

iii) tanh−1 : (−1, 1) → R.

17. Prove that the natural logarithm, defined as the inverse of the expo-
nential function, satisfies

ln a + ln b = ln ab

for all a, b > 0.

(As throughout this course you may assume that ex ey = ex+y for all
x, y ∈ R.)