009A Sample Final A, Problem 10
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10. Consider the function
(a) Use the Intermediate Value Theorem to show that Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle f(x)}
has at
least one zero.
(b) Use Rolle's Theorem to show that Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle f(x)}
has exactly one zero.
| Foundations |
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| The Intermediate Value Theorem. If f(x) is a continuous function on the interval [a,b], and if f(a) ≤ f(b), then for any y such that f(a) ≤ y ≤ f(b), then there exists a c ∈ [a,b] such that f(c) = y. Similarly, if f(a) ≥ f(b), then for any y such that f(a) ≥ y ≥ f(b), then there exists a c ∈ [a,b] such that f(c) = y. |
In part (a) of this problem, as many others, we are trying to show that a root or zero exists. In order to apply the IVT, we need to note that the function is continuous, and then find an a and b such that, for example, f(a) < 0, while f(b) > 0.
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