Let epsilon < 0.
So much
Submitted 3 months ago by fossilesque@mander.xyz to science_memes@mander.xyz
https://mander.xyz/pictrs/image/e9843638-7b1c-4727-b52f-c34ffc8bc4d5.jpeg
Comments
weker01@sh.itjust.works 3 months ago
davidagain@lemmy.world 3 months ago
I don’t think you can use the x0 plus minus delta in the bracket (or anywhere), because then the function that’s 1 on the rationals and 0 on the irrationals is continuous, because no matter what positive number epsilon is, you can pick delta=7 and x0 plus minus delta is exactly as rational as x0 is so the distance to L is zero, so under epsilon.
You have to say that whenever |x - 0x|<delta, |f(x) - L|<epsilon.
affiliate@lemmy.world 3 months ago
unless f(x~0~ ± δ) is some kind of funky shorthand for the set { f(x) : x ∈ ℝ, | x - x~0~ | < δ }. in that case, the definition would be “correct”.
it’s much more likely that it’s a typo, but analysts have been known to cook up some pretty bizarre notation from time to time, so it’s not totally out of the question.
davidagain@lemmy.world 3 months ago
There’s notation for that - (x0 - δ, x0 + δ), so you could say
f(x0 - δ, x0 + δ) ⊂ (L - ε, L + ε)
Jerkface@lemmy.world 3 months ago
… That’s enough real analysis for me today. Or ever, really.
hexaflexagonbear@hexbear.net 3 months ago
Feel weird correcting a meme, but that should be f(x)-L where x is between x_0 - delta and x_0 + delta. As written it looks like a definition that would only work for monotone functions.
Zagorath@aussie.zone 3 months ago
x_0 - delta and x_0
Lemmy actually supports proper subscript (though not not clients do). Surround with tildes.
x~0~ - δ is
x~0~ - δ
swab148@lemm.ee 3 months ago
Yeah
affiliate@lemmy.world 3 months ago
i still feel like this whole ε-δ thing could have been avoided if we had just put more effort into the “infinitesimals” approach, which is a bit more intuitive anyways.
but on the other hand, you need a lot of heavy tools to make infinitesimals work in a rigorous setting, and shortcuts can be nice sometimes
someacnt_@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Infinitesimal approach is often more convoluted when you perform various operations, like exponentials.
Instead, epsilon-delta can be encapsulated as a ball business, then later to inverse image check for topology.
affiliate@lemmy.world 3 months ago
i think the ε-δ approach leads to way more cumbersome and long proofs, and it leads to a good amount of separation between the “idea being proved” and the proof itself.
it’s especially rough when you’re chasing around multiple “limit variables” that depend on different things. i still have flashbacks to my second measure theory course where we would spend an entire two hour lecture on one theorem, chasing around ε and η throughout different parts of the proof.
best to nip it in the bud id say
model_tar_gz@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Calculus, Motherfucker! Do you speak it?!
10_0@lemmy.ml 3 months ago
I’ll invest
emergencyfood@sh.itjust.works 3 months ago
Not a mathematician, but I’m pretty sure this isn’t necessarily true. What if L is -1 and f(x) = x^2? Also I think your function has to be continuous.
davidagain@lemmy.world 3 months ago
You’re right on all three counts. It’s not always true, f(x0) has to be L, and the function has to be continuous.
jeena@piefed.jeena.net 3 months ago
I feel I should understand it, but it's just outside of my reach. It's now 10 years after university.