Lucille T.

Sareno

BSA -4

MWF 2:00-3:00

Continuity at a point

For a function f(x) to be continuous at a point x = c all three of these

conditions must hold.

1. f(c) is defined.

2. lim f(x) exists.

xc

3. lim f(x)=f(c).
xc

If any one of these conditions is broken, then the function is not continuous at x=c.

Condition 1: f(c) is not defined.

This graph shows an example of where the function is not defined at x=c. So this
function is not continuous at x=c.

This is an example of a removable discontinuity. We can just redefine the function

by redefining one point at f(c) to make it continuous.

Condition 2: lim

f(x) does not exist.

xc

Notice that the limit from the left is different than the limit from the right ( at x=c ).
This means the limit does not exist.
This is an example of a non-removable discontinuity at x=c. There is not way to
'plug the hole' or redefine the function at only one point so that the result is
continuous.

Condition 3: lim f(x) f(c).

xc
This graph shows an example of where the first two cases hold but the third doesn't,
i.e. f(c) is defined, the limit exists but the limit does not equal f(c).
This is also an example of a removable discontinuity. Notice you can just move
the f(c) to fill the hole to make the function continuous.

Notes:
1. Although not explicitly stated above, continuity holds in both directions, i.e. if a
function is continuous then all three conditions hold and if all three conditions hold,
then the function is continuous. So we can say, f(x) is continuous at x=c if and only
if all three conditions listed above hold.

2. For case 2 above, where the limit must exist, sometimes we need to look at onesided limits, i.e. limits from each side of the value we are talking about.

Example: f(x) =

3x2 + x 2

x
f(x)

-1
0

0
-2

1
2

2
12

Continuity at an interval
A function f is continuous on an interval if it is continuous at every point in
the interval. (If f is defined only on one side of an endpoint of the interval, we
understand continuous at the endpoint to mean continuous from the right or
continuous from the left.)
EXAMPLE: (1) Show that the function f(x) = 16 x 4 is continuous on the interval
[2, 2].
Solution:
If 2 < a < 2, then using the Limit Laws, we have
lim f(x) = lim 16 x^ 4 LL= 16 a^4 = f(a)
xa
xa

Removable discontinuity
A removable discontinuity is a point on the graph that is undefined or does
not fit the rest of the graph. There is a gap at that location when you are looking at

the graph. When graphed, a removable discontinuity is marked by an open circle on

the graph at the point where the graph is undefined or is a different value like this.

Discontinuities --- Removable vs.

Nonremovable
First let's discuss the 3 main types of
discontinuities: jumps, holes and
asymptotes. Here are three graphs
demonstrating each type.
Vertical Asymptote - - This graph shows
the equation
. At x=1 we
have a vertical asymptote. This is a
nonremovable discontinuity, i.e. we can't
redefine that function at x=1 with one
value that will make the function continuous there.
Notice in the equation that at x=1, we have a zero in the denominator and a
number (not zero) in the numerator.

Hole - - This plot shows the graph of the equation

. At x=1 we have a
hole. This is a removable discontinuity since if we add the single point (1,2) to the
function, the result is a continuous function at x=1.
Jump - - In this third plot, we are graphing
At x=1 we have a
jump. This is a nonremovable discontinuity since we can't redefine the function a
single point to make it continuous at x=1.
Now let's look at the equations for each of these. I have included this with the
discussion of discontinuities since two of these are discontinuities and the third,
zeroes, are related to the other two but are not discontinuities. For this discussion,
we are going to look how the equations are similar.
First let's look at zeroes. Zeroes of a function are sometimes called poles

(especially in electrical engineering). Basically, they are points where the graph
of a function crosses the x-axis, i.e. where y=0. They are not discontinuities but
are important points in mathematics and engineering. If you have a function that is
a fraction such as
zeroes occur at x-values where the numerator function is zero but the
denominator function is NOT zero. For example, look at the second graph above. A
zero occurs at x=1. You can also say that there is a zero at the point (1,0). By
definition, the y-value is zero, so we usually do not write the point (1,0). We usually
just say x=1 or at 1.
Okay, let's look at holes. If we have the a function in fraction form that looks like

holes occur at x-values where the numerator AND

denominator are both zero at the same x-value. A hole is a discontinuity.
Looking at the second graph above, we have a hole at x=1 because the numerator
and denominator of g(x) are both zero at x=1.
Finally, vertical asymptotes occur at x-values where the denominator is
zero but the numerator is NOT zero. Asymptotes are discontinuities. The first
graph above shows this case. Notice that at x=1, the numerator of f(x) is 1, but the
denominator is zero.
Let's sum this up. For a fractional function in the form

- Zeroes occur at x-values where n(x)=0 and d(x)0

- Holes occur at x-values where n(x)=0 and d(x)=0
- Vertical Asymptotes occur at x-values where n(x)0 and d(x)=0