CCD.DLC. Example.5. Discontinuities Almost Everywhere.
Functions that have a definition that specify a value at each number
without
an algebraic rule for any interval can be problematic and hard to
visualize in a technology that is bound by the use of rational numbers
for locating points on a screen. These functions can fail to be
continuous at any number because there is no possible limit of the
function at any number. In other words these functions fail to be
continuous at any number $a$ because there is no number $L$ where
$\lim_{x \to a} f(x) = L $.
One of the simplest such functions is $f(x) = 1$ when $x$ is a rational
number while $f(x) =0$ when $x$ is an irrational number. For any $a$ and
$\epsilon =1/2$, there is no $\delta>0 $ for which for any $x$ if
$|x-a|<\delta$ then $|f(x)-f(a)|< 1/2$ because in any interval there are both rational and
irrational numbers.
So $f$ is not continuous at
any number. On a graph or mapping diagram created using technology,
only the rational numbers can be used for the domain and so the function
$f$ would appear to be the constant function $g(x)=1$ for all $x$
One can illustrate this function by creating diagrams by hand with selected values to indicate what is intended
by the definition.
Such examples are used to illustrate functions that are not
continuous
at any single point $a$ because
$\lim_{x \to a} f(x)$ does not exist.
There are variations on this theme that provide different sets of numbers where the function is not continuous.
One such function is $f(x) = x$ when $x$ is a rational
number while $f(x) =0$ when $x$ is an irrational number. For any $a\ne 0$ and
$\epsilon = \frac a2$, because in any interval there are both rational and
irrational numbers, there is no $\delta>0 $ for which for any $x$ if
$|x-a|<\delta$ then $|f(x)-f(a)|< \frac a2$.
So $f$ is not continuous at
any number, $a \ne 0$ However this function is continuous at $a =
0$. [Proof left to the reader.] On a graph or mapping diagram created
using technology,
only the rational numbers can be used for the domain and so the function
$f$ would appear to be the function $g(x)=x$ for all $x$
Again one can illustrate this function by creating diagrams by hand with selected values to indicate what is intended
by the definition.
Another particularly remarkable example is $f(x) = \frac 1q$ when $x$
is a rational number of the form $\frac pq$ where $p$ and $q (q>0) $
are relatively prime integers while $f(x) =0$ when $x$ is an irrational
number.
For this function, $f$ is continuous at every irrational number but not continuous at any rational number.
Again one can illustrate this function by creating diagrams by hand with selected values to indicate what is intended
by the definition and why the function is continuous at any irrational number.