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Conference rusure::math

Title:Mathematics at DEC
Moderator:RUSURE::EDP
Created:Mon Feb 03 1986
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2083
Total number of notes:14613

888.0. "Two more interesting problems." by HPSTEK::XIA () Fri Jun 17 1988 18:32

    Here are two problems that I think are interesting.  One is straight
    from Baby-Rudin the other one is a variation of a problem in Baby-Rudin;
    
    1.  Suppose f is differentiable on [a, b], f(a) = 0, and there is
    a real number A such that |f'(x)| <= A|f(x)| on [a, b].  Prove that
    f(x) = 0 for all x in [a, b].
    
    2.  Let f:R^n-->R^m.  let C:R-->R^n such that C(0) = 0 and 
    ||C'(0)|| > 0. Moreover C is continuously differentiable.  
    Let g:R-->R^m such that g(t) = f(C(t)) for all t
    in R.  True or False:  If g is continuously differentiable for 
    for all such C at 0, then f is differentiable at 0.
    If the statement is true, give a proof.  If it is not, give a
    counterexample. 
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
888.1problem oneBLAKE::DERAMODaniel V. D&#039;Eramo, VAX LISP developerSun Jun 19 1988 22:4461
     Problem 1:
     
>>    1.  Suppose f is differentiable on [a, b], f(a) = 0, and there is
>>    a real number A such that |f'(x)| <= A|f(x)| on [a, b].  Prove that
>>    f(x) = 0 for all x in [a, b].
     
     Assume A is positive.
     
     f is differentiable on [a, b], so it is continuous on
     [a, b].  Let c and d be arbitrary reals such that
     
          1) a <= c <= d <= b
          2) f(c) = 0
          3) d - c < 1/A
     
     Since the closed interval [c, d] is compact and f is
     continuous, the image of [c, d] under f is bounded, and
     there is a point x of [c, d] such that |f(x)| = M
     = the least upper bound of |f(t)| for t in [c, d].
     
     I will show that M = 0, i.e. f is identically zero in
     [c, d].
     
     Now, I forget what it is called, Rolle's theorem maybe,
     but there is a point e of [c, x] such that
     
          f(x) = f(c) + (x - c)f'(e)
     
     Now play with the symbols for a while
                              
             M = |f(x)|
               = |f(c) + (x - c)f'(e)|
               = |(x - c)f'(e)|            since f(c) = 0
               = (x - c)|f'(e)|            c <= x <= d
               <= (x - c) A |f(e)|         property of f'
               <= (x - c) A M              |f(e)| <= M
     
     If M is nonzero, divide throught by M to get
     
             1 <= (x - c) A
     
     But x - c <= d - c < 1/A, so the right hand side is < 1.
     The contradiction refutes the assumption that M is non-zero,
     so M must be zero, and f is identically zero over [c, d].

     Now, choose positive integeral n large enough so that
     (b - a)/n < 1/A. 
     
     We can choose a and a + (b - a)/n for c and d in the above,
     [c = a so f(c) = f(a) = 0, and d - c = (b - a)1/n < 1/A],
     thus showing that f is identically zero over [a, a +
     (b - a)/n].  Then choose a + (b - a)/n and a + 2(b - a)/n 
     for c and d, to show that f is identically zero over
     that subinterval.  Repeat this n times until you have
     "covered" all of [a, b], showing that f is identically
     zero on all of [a, b].
     
     Dan
     
     P.S.  Lots of line noise, but I've tried to remove all of
     the garbage it added to my reply. 
888.2CLT::GILBERTMon Jun 20 1988 12:468
    I'm uncomfortable with the proof of problem 1, because of functions
    such as:

	f(x) = x - x^3	(0 <= x <= 1)		{ Rolle's thm doesn't hold }

	        -1/x
	f(x) = e    , for 0 < x		{ f(x) is infinitely differentiable,
	     = 0      for x <= 0	  and at x=0, all derivatives are 0 }
888.3You left off one of the conditions.AITG::DERAMOI am, therefore I&#039;ll think.Mon Jun 20 1988 13:3617
    Re .2
    
    Are these counterexamples to Rolle's theorem or to the statement
    of problem 1?  For the first problem, f'(0) = 1, and so there can
    be no real A such that |f'(x)| <= A |f(x)| for all x in [0, 1].
    For problem two, 
                              -1/x
                             e
                  f'(x) =    -----
                                2
                               x
                                  2
    and so |f'(x)| / |f(x)| = 1/(x ) and again no real A can be chosen
    (in a domain that includes 0) to satisfy the statement of problem
    1.                       
    
    Dan
888.4CLT::GILBERTMon Jun 20 1988 18:342
    The proof is good, of course (BTW, it's easy to understand graphically).
    I was just worrying about pathological cases.
888.5more on what I called Rolle's theoremZFC::DERAMODaniel V. D&#039;Eramo, VAX LISP developerMon Jun 20 1988 19:2254
     I typed up this proof of Rolle's theorem before reading
     .-1, but I'll post it anyway.  There may be pathological
     cases, but they will still obey Rolle's theorem.
     
     Let f be differentiable [and therefore continuous] on [a, b].
     Let g be the linear function equal to f(a) at a and equal to
     f(b) at b, i.e., 

                 f(b) - f(a)
          g(x) = ----------- (x - a) + f(a)
                    b - a

     Finally, let h be the function on [a, b] given by

          h(x) = f(x) - g(x)

     Note that h is continuous on [a, b], differentiable on [a, b],
     and that h(a) = h(b) = 0.

     If h is not identically zero, then there is a point e in
     [a, b] such that h(e) takes on that maximum or minimum, and
     furthermore such that h'(e) = 0.  Think about what the ratio

          h(x + delta_x) - h(x)
          ---------------------
                delta_x

     must be as delta_x approaches zero near an x such that h(x)
     takes on its largest or smallest value; for instance, near a
     maximum the numerator is >= 0 whether delta_x is positive or
     negative, so that the ratio is nonnegative for positive
     delta_x and nonpositive for negative delta_x, and since the
     limit h' exists it must be zero.

     Now plug these in:

          0 = h'(e)                         we picked e that way
            = f'(e) - g'(e)                 because h = f - g

                      f(b) - f(a)
            = f'(e) - -----------           from definition of g
                         b - a

     and so f(b) = f'(e) (b - a) + f(a), i.e., Rolle's theorem.

     Note that all we used to derive this was [lots of facts
     about the topolgy of the real line, about limits,
     arithmetic, calculus, etc., and] that f:[a, b] -> R was
     differentiable over all of [a, b].

     Dan

     Oh by the way, if h is identically zero then f is a linear
     function and e = b will satisfy Rolle's theorem.
888.6First problemHPSRAD::KUNDUMon Jun 20 1988 21:5445
>>    1.  Suppose f is differentiable on [a, b], f(a) = 0, and there is
>>    a real number A such that |f'(x)| <= A|f(x)| on [a, b].  Prove that
>>    f(x) = 0 for all x in [a, b].

>>     f is differentiable on [a, b], so it is continuous on
>>     [a, b].  Let c and d be arbitrary reals such that
>>     
>>          1) a <= c <= d <= b
>>          2) f(c) = 0
>>          3) d - c < 1/A

I feel the approach in 888.1 is in the right direction.  However,
the proof appears to be incomplete/incorrect because of the
assumption f(c) = 0.  One needs to show that there can be a c, a <
c, where f(c) = 0.  Below, I attempt to supply a cleaner steps of
reasoning.

We (linear) transform the problem onto [0,1], where f(0) = 0, and
|f'(x)| <= B|f(x)| on [0,1].  B is a constant depending on a, b,
and A.  B is not 0, otherwise there is nothing to be solved.

Now, f is continuous (being differentiable) on a compact set [0,1].
Thus |f(x)| is also a continuous function on the compact set [0,1].
So |f(x)| has a maximum, and let
	M = maximum of |f(x)| over [0,1].

Let p is the point where a maximum of |f(x)| occurs.  Note that for
any x, -M <= f(x) <= M according to our definition of M.  If p = 0,
then it implies, |f(x)| <= M = |f(0)| = 0 which means f(x) = 0 for
all x.

Now suppose p > 0.

By Rolles theorem, f(p) - f(0) = pf'(q), for some q, 0 <= q <= p.

So, |f(p)| = |pf'(q)|   (use f(0) = 0)
	   = p|f'(q)|   (p is positive)
	  <= pB|f(q)|   (use |f'(x)| <= B|f(x)| at q)
	  <= pbM.

Therefore, M = |f(p)| <= pBM.  Since, p and B are not 0, the
only non-negative M that satisfies above inequality is M = 0.
This completes the proof.

				Snehamay K.
888.7typo in .6HPSRAD::KUNDUMon Jun 20 1988 22:201
"pbM" should read "pBM".
888.8re: f(c) = 0ZFC::DERAMODaniel V. D&#039;Eramo, VAX LISP developerMon Jun 20 1988 22:2024
     Re .6:
     
     Well, the purpose of the conditions on c and d, including
     f(c) = 0, was that the result that f is identically zero
     on [c, d] could "slide" along the "potentially longer"
     interval [a, b].  The first use I made of it was to show
     that we could take a and a+((b-a)/n) for c and d and
     by doing so show that f is always zero in that subinterval
     of [a, b].  So there c = a, and f(c) = f(a) = 0.  Also,
     having just proved that f(d) = f(a + (b - a)/n) = 0,
     I could again invoke the result about c and d, this time
     with c = a+((b-a)/n) and d = a+2((b-a)/n), and again
     with this choice f(c) = 0.
     
     So I wasn't assuming that there was some random point
     c in [a, b] with f(c) = 0.  I was assuming that *IF*
     there was a sufficiently small [i.e., d - c < 1/A]
     subinterval [c, d] of [a, b] and *IF* f(c) = 0 then f
     is zero over all of [c, d].
     
     But each application of that "lemma" used a value of
     c for which it was known that f(c) = 0.
     
     Dan
888.9ans in .6 is incorrectHPSRAD::KUNDUTue Jun 21 1988 11:367
Thank you Dan.  You are right.  In my reply .6, M <= pBM fails to
imply M = 0 when pB >= 1.  And I can't reason why pB should be < 1.
So, my answer in .6 is incorrect.

I now see what you have done in .1 and its good.

/Snehamay K.
888.10SolutionsHPSTEK::XIASun Jun 26 1988 19:0711
    Problem 1:
         The solution Dan gave in .1 is correct, so I am not going to
    do it again here.
    
    Problem 2:
         The answer is false.  Counterexample:
    Let f: R^2-->R such that x = (0,0) ==> f(x) = 0.  if x = (x1, x2)
    != (0,0) then f(x) = x1^3 / (x1^2 + x2^2).
    
    Comments:  The first problem is very intuitive, but the second problem
               is totally counter intuitive (at least to me).
888.11request for more on the counterexampleBLAKE::DERAMODaniel V. D&#039;Eramo, VAX LISP developerSun Jun 26 1988 23:067
     re .-1, problem 2.
     
     Could you please give an example of the C function that shows
     this f to be a counterexample?  [I haven't translated
     this problem to someone I could visualize yet.]
     
     Dan
888.12HPSTEK::XIAMon Jun 27 1988 11:063
    C is supposed to be any arbitrary continuously differentiable function
    that is not vanishing at 0.  (The problem states "for all such C").
    Eugene
888.13HPSTEK::XIAMon Jun 27 1988 13:535
    I guess I did not explain quite clearly about what I meant in .12
    The point is if f is defined as in .10, then any continuously
    differentiable function C will make g(t) = f(C(t)) continuous at
    0.  Yet f is not differentiable at 0.
    Eugene
888.14ZFC::DERAMODaniel V. D&#039;Eramo, VAX LISP developerMon Jun 27 1988 19:167
     Ok, thanks.  I understand it now.  Showing that f is
     not differentiable at 0 is easy enough, so to complete
     the proof one just has to show that f(C(t)) is continuous
     at 0 for all of the relevant C.  I can't read .0 from
     this buffer so I'll think about that later. :-)
     
     Dan
888.15HPSTEK::XIAMon Jun 27 1988 19:307
    It is not quite that simple to show that f is not differentiable
    at 0 though.  I personally think it is the hard part of the problem
    (Again there might be some simple and clever ways of doing it.  It
    is just that I am not aware of it).
    
    Have fun!
    Eugene
888.16ZFC::DERAMODaniel V. D&#039;Eramo, VAX LISP developerMon Jun 27 1988 20:2143
     Doesn't this suffice to show that f is not differentiable
     at (0,0)?
     
     Consider the function f from .10
     
                     3     2    2
           f(x,y) = x  / (x  + y )
     
     The partial derivatives are
     
                       4          2
                   - 2x         3x
           f  = ---------- + ----------
            x     2    2 2     2    2 2
                (x  + y )    (x  + y ) 
     
                     3 
                 - 2x y
           f  = ----------
            y     2    2 2
                (x  + y )
     
     In polar coordinates [using r and o (instead of theta)]
     these are
                      4   4          2   2
                  - 2r cos o      3 r cos o      4    3    2
           f  = -------------- +  --------- = cos o - - cos o
            x          4              4               r
                      r              r
     
                       3
           f  = - 2 cos o sin o
            y
     
     These do not approach a single limiting value as (x,y) ->
     (0,0) along different rays through the origin; for example,
     along the positive x axis f  decreases without bound as x -> 0. 
                                x
     
     So f  and f  do not exist at (0,0).
         x      y
     
     Dan
888.17Perhaps NotHPSTEK::XIATue Jun 28 1988 11:033
    re .16
         This only shows that the derivitive is not continuous at (0,0).
    Eugene
888.18CorrectionHPSTEK::XIATue Jun 28 1988 13:545
    re .12
    Correction:
    It should be "whose derivitive is not vanishing at 0" not "that
    is not vanishing at 0".  The function C is vanishing at 0.
    Eugene
888.19another tryZFC::DERAMOTo err is human; to moo, bovine.Wed Jun 29 1988 00:0731
     To show:  f(x,y) = x^3 / (x^2 + y^2) is not differentiable
               at (0,0) [where f(0,0) = 0].
     
     f (0,0) =  lim  (f(h,0) - f(0,0)) / h
      x        h -> 0
     
                      1      h^3
             =  lim   - (-------------- - 0)
               h -> 0 h    h^2 + 0^2
     
             =  lim   1
               h -> 0
     
             = 1
     
     So f (0,0) = 1
         x
     
     f (0,0) =  lim  (f(0,k) - f(0,0)) / k
      y        k -> 0
                      1     0^3
             =  lim   - (------------- - 0)
               k -> 0 k    0^2 + k^2
     
             =  lim   1 / (k^3)
               k -> 0
     
     ... the limit does not exist, so f  is not defined at (0,0).
                                       y
     
     Dan
888.20I am afraid that is not right either.HPSTEK::XIAWed Jun 29 1988 11:4728
     re .19
     There is a problem in your computation of f (0,0).
                                                y      
    
    
     f (0,0) =  lim  (f(0,k) - f(0,0)) / k
      y        k -> 0
                      1     0^3
             =  lim   - (------------- - 0) = lim 1/k (0) = 0.
               k -> 0 k    0^2 + k^2         k->0
     
             =  lim   1 / (k^3)
               k -> 0 
               ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
               This is not right.
                                                  
    
    Hence, f (0,0) does exist and is 0.
            y

    
    Eugene
    
    Hint:  g is continuously differentiable for all C, so you can expect
           all the directional derivitive to exist.  That is why this
           is the hard part of the problem.
    
    
888.21oops ^ 17ZFC::DERAMOTo err is human; to moo, bovine.Wed Jun 29 1988 13:387
     Silly me, that's what I get for being stubborn.  When
     I cancelled the zeros in the numerator and denominator
     I left the product the same on top [oops] and the sum
     the same on the bottom [okay].  What node is conference
     ARITHMETIC on? :-)
     
     Dan
888.22shall I try a third time? :-)ZFC::DERAMOTo err is human; to moo, bovine.Wed Jun 29 1988 13:4310
     Re .20
     
>>    Hint:  g is continuously differentiable for all C, so you can expect
>>           all the directional derivitive to exist.  That is why this
>>           is the hard part of the problem.
     
     Can I just take f as a function of a single complex variable
     and show that it isn't analytic at zero?
     
     Dan
888.23C does not mean the complex plane hereHPSTEK::XIAWed Jun 29 1988 14:3616
    re .22
    The C in my hint is the function defined in the base note.  It
    does not mean the complex plane.
    
    As to whether it is sufficient to prove that f is nonanalytic a
    0.  That trivializes the problem since we know that analytic functions
    are infinitely differentiable.  And by your previous work, we know
    that the derivitive is not continuous at 0.  Hence, the second
    derivitive does not exist at 0.
    
    Well, since I never had a course in Complex Analysis, I am not sure
    my above handwaving proof is right.  For one thing, I am not 100%
    certain that f' is not differentiable in R^2 => f' is not diferentiable
    in C.  Maybe you can verify this for me.
    Eugene
    
888.24Solutions! Solutions!HPSTEK::XIAThu Jun 30 1988 12:1247
The notation in this proof is consistant with the ones in the base note.

#1. f is not differentiable at (0,0).

Proof:  Let v = (3/5, 4/5).  Hence v is a unit vector.  Now we compute
        the diretional derivitive in the direction of v. 
        Let C(t) = (C1(t), C2(t)).  Let h: R-->R^2
        such that h(t) = f(v*t).  Then:
        
        h(t) = (3/5 * t)^3 / ((3/5 * t)^2 + 4/5 * t)^2) 
             = (3/5 * t)^3 / t^2 = 27/125 * t.

        Hence, h'(t) = 27/125. ==> h'(0) = 27/125.  Hence, by definition,
        the directional derivitive of f at (0,0) in the direction of v 
        is 27/125.

        By Dan's previous work, we know that f (0) = 1 and f (0) = 0.
                                              x             y

        let F = (f (0), f (0))^T = (1, 0)^T
                  x      y

        Then v * F = (3/5, 4/5) * (1, 0)^T = 3/5.

        Hence, v * F != h'(0).  Since h'(0) is a directional derivative,
        this means F is not linear.  Hence, f is not differentiable at
        (0, 0).

#2.  show that g is continuously differentiable for all C at 0.

Proof:  Again let C(t) = (C1(t), C2(t)).  Then g(t) = f(C1(t), C2(t))
        = (C1(t))^3 / (C1(t)^2 + C2(t)^2).

        g'(0) = lim (g(0+h) - 0)/h where h -> 0.
              = lim g(h)/h
              = lim C1(h)^3 / (h * (C1(h)^2 + C2(h)^2))
              = lim (C1(h)/h)^3 / ((C1(h)^2 + C2(h)^2) / h^2)
              = C1'(0)^3 / ||C'(0)||^2 (This step is allowed since
                                        we know that ||C'(0)|| > 0.)

        Hence, g is differentiable for all C.  I will leave the proof of 
        g being continuously differentiable to the readers.

Have fun.

Eugene
            
888.25by the way ... :-)ZFC::DERAMOTo err is human; to moo, bovine.Thu Jun 30 1988 20:2011
     Re .20, .24
     
>>    Hint:  g is continuously differentiable for all C, so you can expect
>>           all the directional derivitive to exist.  That is why this
>>           is the hard part of the problem.
     
     How exactly is differentiability of f defined (I guess I
     mean in the general case of f:R^m -> R^n)?  Obviously having
     the partial derivatives all exist is not enough. 
     
     Dan
888.26Definition of Derivitive.HPSTEK::XIAFri Jul 01 1988 11:0513
    re .25
    Let h be in R^m.
    Let T be a linear operator (map) from R^m-->R^n such that 
    
    lim ||(f(x + h) - f(x) - Th)|| / ||h|| exist and is equal to 0.
    h->0
    
    Then T is call the derivitive of f at x.  Incidentally, derivitive
    is not restricted to R^n.  You can replace R^m, R^n in the above
    definition by any normed vector space.
    
    Eugene