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7/19/2017 12. Intermediate Value Theorem | Continuity | 18.01.

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MITx: 18.01.1x Calculus 1A: Differentiation Help

Course  Unit 0: Limits  Continuity  12. Intermediate Value Theorem

12. Intermediate Value Theorem


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If is a function which is continuous on the interval , and lies between the values of and , then
there is at least one point between and such that

(A function is continuous on a closed interval if it is right-continuous at , left-continuous at , and


continuous at all points between and .)

What makes the Intermediate Value Theorem a deep result?

The Intermediate Value Theorem is profound because it takes information that is local by nature, and allows you
to conclude a global result. Continuity at a point is local information, because it only requires knowledge of the
function's behavior near that point. But somehow, if we know this fact at every point on an interval, then the
Intermediate Value Theorem tells us something about the overall, or global behavior - namely, that the function
has to take on a particular value, or its graph has to cross a certain line.

This is intimately tied in with the properties of the real number system. We could have the same definition of
continuity for functions if we only worked with, say, the rational numbers (numbers which can be written as a
fraction of integers), but the Intermediate Value Theorem would not work if that were the case. It is only when
we move to the real numbers that the Intermediate Value Theorem holds true.

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Topic: Unit 0: Limits / 12. Intermediate Value Theorem

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