The function!

Calculus Level 3

Let f : R R f: \mathbb {R \to R} be a function such that for all x , y R x , y \in \mathbb R

f ( x ) f ( y ) 6 x y 2 \large \left| f(x) - f(y)\right| \le 6\left|x - y\right|^2

If f ( 3 ) = 6 f(3) = 6 then find f ( 6 ) f(6) .

Notation: |\cdot| denotes the absolute value function .


The answer is 6.

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2 solutions

Rohit Sharma
Jul 1, 2017

We have f ( x ) f ( y ) 6 x y 2 \left| f\left(x\right) - f\left(y\right)\right| \le 6\left| x - y\right|^2 .

We can write it as

f ( x ) f ( y ) x y 6 x y \left| \frac{f\left(x\right) - f\left(y\right)}{x - y}\right| \le 6\left|x-y\right|

Now let y y tends to x x where x is any real number .

Therefore,

lim y x f ( x ) f ( y ) x y lim y x x y \displaystyle\lim_{y\to\ x}\left| \frac{f\left(x\right) - f\left(y\right)}{x - y}\right| \le \displaystyle\lim_{y\to\ x}\left|x - y\right|

Therefore, f ( x ) 0 \left| f^{'}\left(x\right)\right| \le 0 by using LMVT(Lagrange Mean Value Theorem) .

Therefore f ( x ) = 0 f^{'}\left(x\right) = 0

This means function f f is a constant function .

Hence , f ( 6 ) = 6 f\left(6\right) = 6

I really enjoyed that one. I wonder what other ways this could be solved.

James Wilson - 3 years, 8 months ago

Technically you do have to know that f ( x ) f(x) is continuous. To show that is easy though. One way is to let δ = ϵ / 6 \delta=\sqrt{\epsilon/6} in the typical ( ϵ , δ ) (\epsilon,\delta) definition of a limit.

James Wilson - 3 years, 8 months ago

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It is pretty obvious that it is continuous though...

James Wilson - 3 years, 8 months ago
Leonel Castillo
Jun 5, 2018

Rewrite the condition as f ( x ) f ( y ) x y 6 x y \left| \frac{f(x) - f(y)}{x-y} \right| \leq 6|x-y| We will prove that such a function is complex differentiable:

0 lim y x f ( x ) f ( y ) x y lim y x 6 x y = 0 lim y x f ( x ) f ( y ) x y = 0 0 \leq \lim_{y \to x} \left| \frac{f(x) - f(y)}{x-y} \right| \leq \lim_{y \to x} 6|x-y| = 0 \implies \lim_{y \to x} \left| \frac{f(x) - f(y)}{x-y} \right| = 0 by the squeeze theorem. This in turn implies that lim y x f ( x ) f ( y ) x y = 0 \lim_{y \to x} \frac{f(x) - f(y)}{x-y} = 0 by the properties of the absolute value. Thus we have found that f ( x ) f'(x) exists for all x C x \in \mathbb{C} and f ( x ) = 0 f'(x) = 0 which implies f f is a constant function. And we are already told that f ( x ) = 6 f(x) = 6 .

Furthermore, as we have found that not only is f f differentiable but complex differentiable, this problem could be extended to C \mathbb{C} in the sense that this is the only solution, even if we are given a function f : C C f: \mathbb{C} \to \mathbb{C} .

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