Continuity

 

Description:

A mathematical look into the idea of continuity


N: The lim supnn\limsup_{ n \to \infty }{n} and lim infnn\liminf_{ n \to \infty }n define the two extremes of any space.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous_function#Continuous_functions_between_topological_spaces

In mathematics, a continuous function is a function such that a small variation of the argument induces a small variation of the value of the function. This implies there are no abrupt changes in value, known as discontinuities.

The epsilon–delta definition of a limit was introduced to formalize the definition of continuity.

In mathematics, the oscillation of a function or a sequence is a number that quantifies how much that sequence or function varies between its extreme values as it approaches infinity or a point.

Let ana_n be a sequence of real numbers. The oscillation ω(an)\omega (a_{n}) of that sequence is defined as the difference (possibly infinite) between the limit superior and limit inferior of ana_{n}:

ω(an)=lim supnanlim infnan.\omega(a_{n}) = \limsup_{ n \to \infty }a_{n} - \liminf_{ n \to \infty }a_{n}.

The oscillation is zero if and only if the sequence converges. It is undefined if lim supn\limsup_{ n \to \infty } and lim infn\liminf_{ n \to \infty } are both equal to ++\infty or both equal to -\infty, that is, if the sequence tends to ++\infty or -\infty.

Oscillation
Oscillation of a sequence (shown in blue) is the difference between the limit superior and limit inferior of the sequence.

Examples:

  • 1/x1/x has oscillation \infty at x=0x=0, and oscillation 00 at other finite xx and ++\infty and -\infty.
  • (1)x(-1)^x or 1, −1, 1, −1, 1, −1... has oscillation 22.
  • sin(1/x)\sin (1/x) (the topologist’s sine curve) has oscillation 2 at x = 0, and 0 elsewhere.