Lecture 8: §1.

8: Continuity

Goals

ˆ Determine graphically the points at which a function is continuous or discontinuous.

ˆ Algebraically calculate limits and test the value of a function at a point to determine
whether a function is continuous at a point.

ˆ Analytically determine at which points a rational function or piecewise function is

discontinuous.

ˆ Determine the points of continuity and discontinuity of functions formed from sim-
pler functions through composition and algebraic operations.

ˆ Determine the points of continuity and discontinuity of a composite function to

compute a limit of the function.

ˆ Determine if a function is continuous from the right, from the left, or neither at a
point of discontinuity.

ˆ Describe the relationship between continuous functions and the Intermediate Value
Theorem.

ˆ Apply the Intermediate Value Theorem to prove the existence of a solution to an

equation on a given interval.

Additional Exercises (not collected but strongly encouraged)

ˆ §1.8: 3, 13, 19-23 (all), 27, 29, 33, 37, 39, 43, 45, 47, 48, 55, 57

Continuity: Recall that by using the limit laws and the facts that lim c = c and lim x = a,
x→a x→a
we were able to show that we can evaluate limits of polynomials and rational functions (whose
denominators do not approach zero) by simply evaluating the function at the given limit.
What was special about these functions that allowed us to do this? The answer is that these
types functions are both continuous at the point in question. Intuitively, saying “f (x) is
continuous at a” means that the graph of f (x) can be drawn near a without lifting your pen
from the paper; in particular, there are no holes or breaks in the graph of f (x) at x = a.
But how do we describe this in a more useful, precise way?

Definition of Continuity: A function f is continuous at a number a if

lim = f (a).
x→a

If lim f (x) ̸= f (a), we say that f is discontinuous at a.

x→a

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Example 1. We consider the graphs of some functions and visually determine at which
points these functions are continuous.

Example 2. For what values of x is the function

 2
x − x − 2
x ̸= 2
f (x) = x−2
1 x=2


continuous?

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 We will often want to describe how a function fails to be continuous at a point a. Dis-
continuities may occur different forms; some are easier to deal with than others:

ˆ A removable discontinuity occurs when lim f (x) = L, but f (a) ̸= L. This results
x→a
in a ‘hole’ in the graph at x = a.

ˆ An infinite discontinuity occurs when either the left, right, or two sided limit at a
is infinite (so there is a vertical asymptote at x = a in the graph of f (x).)

ˆ A jump discontinuity occurs when the left and right limits as x approaches a differ.
Visually, this is when there is a break in the graph of f (x) at a.

If necessary, we can be a bit more descriptive when talking about the continuity of a
function:

Left and Right Continuity; Continuity on an Interval: A function f is continuous

from the right at a if
lim+ f (x) = f (a),
x→a

and is continuous from the left at a if

lim f (x) = f (a).

x→a−

A function f is continuous on an interval I if f is continuous at every value a in I. If

I is a closed interval [a, b], we take this to mean that f is right continuous at a and left
continuous at b.

√
Example 3. We show that f (x) = 1 − 1 − x2 is continuous on the interval [−1, 1]

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Properties of Continuous Functions: Since the definition of continuity is in terms of
limits, we can use the limit laws to say things about the continuity of functions constructed
from other continuous functions:

Properties of Continuous Functions: Suppose f and g are continuous at a, and c is

a constant. Then the following functions are continuous at a:

ˆ f +g

ˆ f −g

ˆ cf

ˆ fg
f
ˆ (if g(a) ̸= 0)
g
In particular, the following types of functions are continuous at every number in their
domains:

ˆ polynomials

ˆ rational functions

ˆ root functions

ˆ trigonometric functions

Example 4. On what intervals is

√ x+1
f (x) = x+
x−1
continuous?

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 One final useful fact deals with compositions of continuous functions: in certain cases we
can ‘push’ the limit inside of a composition of functions to make calculations easier:

If lim g(x) = b, and f is continuous at b, then

x→a
 
lim f (g(x)) = f lim g(x) .
x→a x→a

Example 5. We compute
lim sin(x2 ).
x→0

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The Intermediate Value Theorem: Since a function f which is continuous on [a, b] has
no breaks or jumps in its graph, the outputs of f on that interval must pass through (at
least) all values between f (a) and f (b). More precisely:

The Intermediate Value Theorem: Suppose f is continuous on [a, b], and let N be
any number between f (a) and f (b). Then there exists a number c in (a, b) such that
f (c) = N .

Example 6. Show that there must be a solution to the equation

x3 = 5x − 1

on the interval [0, 2].