An important theorem concerning derivatives is this: If a function f is differentiable at x = a, then f is continuous at x = a. The proof begins with the identity that for all And therefore, Since both sides are finite, the function is continuous at x = a. The converse of this theorem is…
Existence Theorems An existence theorem is a theorem that says, if the hypotheses are met, that something, usually a number, must exist. For example, the Mean Value Theorem is an existence theorem: If a function f is defined on the closed interval [a, b] and differentiable on the open interval (a, b), then there exists…
So, you’ve finally proven the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus and have written on the board: And the students ask, “What good is that?” and “When are we ever going to use that?” Here’s your answer. There are two very important uses of this theorem. First, in words the theorem says that “the integral of a…
This series of posts reviews and expands what students know from pre-calculus about inverses. This leads to finding the derivative of exponential functions, ax, and the definition of e, from which comes the definition of the natural logarithm. Inverses Graphically and Numerically The Range of the Inverse The Calculus of Inverses The Derivatives of Exponential Functions…
Karl Weierstrass (1815 – 1897) was the mathematician who (finally) formalized the definition of continuity. Included in that definition was the epsilon-delta definition of limit. This definition has been pulled out, so to speak, and now is usually presented on its own. So, which came first – continuity or limit? The ideas and situations that…
Another application of the derivative is the Mean Value Theorem (MVT). This theorem is very important. One of its most important uses is in proving the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus (FTC), which comes a little later in the year. Here are some previous post on the MVT: Fermat’s Penultimate Theorem A lemma for Rolle’s Theorem:…
Theorems are carefully worded statements about mathematical facts that have been proved to be true. Important (and some not so important) ideas in calculus and all of mathematics are summarized as theorems. When you come across a theorem you need to understand it; the author of your textbook would not have included it and the…
Teaching Calculus 