CalculusWithJuliaNotes.jl/CwJ/derivatives/mean_value_theorem.jmd

# The mean value theorem for differentiable functions.

This section uses these add-on packages:

```julia
using CalculusWithJulia
using Plots
using Roots

```

```julia; echo=false; results="hidden"
using CalculusWithJulia.WeaveSupport
using Printf
using SymPy

fig_size = (800, 600)

const frontmatter = (
        title = "The mean value theorem for differentiable functions.",
        description = "Calculus with Julia: The mean value theorem for differentiable functions.",
        tags = ["CalculusWithJulia", "derivatives", "the mean value theorem for differentiable functions."],
);

nothing
```

----

A function is *continuous* at $c$ if $f(c+h) - f(c) \rightarrow 0$ as $h$ goes to $0$. We can write that as ``f(c+h) - f(x) = \epsilon_h``, with ``\epsilon_h`` denoting a function going to ``0`` as ``h \rightarrow 0``. With this notion, differentiability could be written as ``f(c+h) - f(c) - f'(c)h = \epsilon_h \cdot h``.  This is clearly a more demanding requirement that mere continuity at ``c``.

We defined a function to be *continuous* on an interval $I=(a,b)$ if
it was continuous at each point $c$ in $I$. Similarly, we define a
function to be *differentiable* on the interval $I$ it it is differentiable
at each point $c$ in $I$.

This section looks at properties of differentiable functions. As there is a more stringent definition, perhaps more properties are a consequence of the definition.

## Differentiable is more restrictive than continuous.

Let $f$ be a differentiable function on $I=(a,b)$. We see that
``f(c+h) - f(c) = f'(c)h + \epsilon_h\cdot h = h(f'(c) + \epsilon_h)``. The right hand side will clearly go to ``0`` as ``h\rightarrow 0``, so ``f`` will be continuous. In short:

> A differentiable function on $I=(a,b)$ is continuous on $I$.

Is it possible that all continuous functions are differentiable?

The fact that the derivative is related to the tangent line's slope
might give an indication that this won't be the case - we just need a
function which is continuous but has a point with no tangent line. The
usual suspect is $f(x) = \lvert x\rvert$ at $0$.

```julia; hold=true
f(x) = abs(x)
plot(f, -1,1)
```

We can see formally that the secant line expression will not have a
limit when $c=0$ (the left limit is $-1$, the right limit $1$). But
more insight is gained by looking a the shape of the graph.  At the origin, the graph
always is vee-shaped. There is no linear function that approximates this function
well. The function is just not smooth enough, as it has a kink.


There are other functions that have kinks. These are often associated
with powers. For example, at $x=0$ this function will not have a
derivative:

```julia; hold=true;
f(x) = (x^2)^(1/3)
plot(f, -1, 1)
```


Other functions have tangent lines that become vertical. The natural slope would be $\infty$, but this isn't a limiting answer (except in the extended sense we don't apply to the definition of derivatives). A candidate for this case is the cube root function:

```julia;
plot(cbrt, -1, 1)
```

The derivative at $0$ would need to be $+\infty$ to match the
graph. This is implied by the formula for the derivative from the
power rule: $f'(x) = 1/3 \cdot x^{-2/3}$, which has a vertical
asymptote at $x=0$.


!!! note
	The `cbrt` function is used above, instead of `f(x) = x^(1/3)`, as the
	latter is not defined for negative `x`. Though it can be for the exact
	power `1/3`, it can't be for an exact power like `1/2`. This means the
	value of the argument is important in determining the type of the
	output - and not just the type of the argument. Having type-stable
	functions is part of the magic to making `Julia` run fast, so `x^c` is
	not defined for negative `x` and most floating point exponents.


Lest you think that continuous functions always have derivatives
except perhaps at exceptional points, this isn't the case. The
functions used to
[model](http://tinyurl.com/cpdpheb) the
stock market are continuous but have no points where they are
differentiable.






## Derivatives and maxima.

We have defined an *absolute maximum* of $f(x)$ over an interval to be
a value $f(c)$ for a point $c$ in the interval that is as large as any
other value in the interval. Just specifying a function and an
interval does not guarantee an absolute maximum, but specifying a
*continuous* function and a *closed* interval does, by the extreme value theorem.

> *A relative maximum*: We say $f(x)$ has a *relative maximum* at $c$
> if there exists *some* interval $I=(a,b)$ with $a < c < b$ for which
> $f(c)$ is an absolute maximum for $f$ and $I$.

The difference is a bit subtle, for an absolute maximum the interval
must also be specified, for a relative maximum there just needs to
exist some interval, possibly really small, though it must be bigger
than a point.

!!! note
	A hiker can appreciate the difference. A relative maximum would be the
	crest of any hill, but an absolute maximum would be the summit.

What does this have to do with derivatives?

[Fermat](http://science.larouchepac.com/fermat/fermat-maxmin.pdf),
perhaps with insight from Kepler, was interested in maxima of
polynomial functions. As a warm up, he considered a line segment $AC$ and a point $E$
with the task of choosing $E$ so that $(E-A) \times (C-A)$ being a maximum. We might recognize this as
finding the maximum of $f(x) = (x-A)\cdot(C-x)$ for some $A <
C$. Geometrically, we know this to be at the midpoint, as the equation
is a parabola, but Fermat was interested in an algebraic solution that
led to more generality.

He takes $b=AC$ and  $a=AE$. Then the product is $a \cdot (b-a) =
ab - a^2$. He then perturbs this writing $AE=a+e$, then this new
product is $(a+e) \cdot (b - a - e)$. Equating the two, and canceling
like terms gives $be = 2ae + e^2$. He cancels the $e$ and basically
comments that this must be true for all $e$ even as $e$ goes to $0$,
so $b = 2a$ and the value is at the midpoint.

In a more modern approach, this would be the same as looking at this expression:

```math
\frac{f(x+e) - f(x)}{e} = 0.
```

Working on the left hand side, for non-zero $e$ we can cancel the
common $e$ terms, and then let $e$ become $0$.  This becomes a problem
in solving $f'(x)=0$. Fermat could compute the derivative for any
polynomial by taking a limit, a task we would do now by the power
rule and the sum and difference of function rules.


This insight holds for other types of functions:

> If $f(c)$ is a relative maximum then either $f'(c) = 0$ or the
>  derivative at $c$ does not exist.

When the derivative exists, this says the tangent line is flat. (If it
had a slope, then the the function would increase by moving left or
right, as appropriate, a point we pursue later.)


For a continuous function $f(x)$, call a point $c$ in the domain of
$f$ where either $f'(c)=0$ or the derivative does not exist a **critical**
**point**.


We can combine Bolzano's extreme value theorem with Fermat's insight to get the following:

> A continuous function on $[a,b]$ has an absolute maximum that occurs
> at a critical point $c$, $a < c < b$, or an endpoint, $a$ or $b$.

A similar statement holds for an absolute minimum.  This gives a
restricted set of places to look for absolute maximum and minimum values - all the critical points and the endpoints.

It is also the case that all relative extrema occur at a critical point, *however* not all critical points correspond to relative extrema. We will see *derivative tests* that help characterize when that occurs.

```julia;hold=true; echo=false;
### {{{lhopital_32}}}
imgfile = "figures/lhopital-32.png"
caption =  L"""
Image number ``32`` from L'Hopitals calculus book (the first) showing that
at a relative minimum, the tangent line is parallel to the
$x$-axis. This of course is true when the tangent line is well defined
by Fermat's observation.
"""
ImageFile(:derivatives, imgfile, caption)
```


### Numeric derivatives

The `ForwardDiff` package provides a means to numerically compute derivatives without approximations at a point. In `CalculusWithJulia` this is extended to find derivatives of functions and the `'` notation is overloaded for function objects. Hence these two give nearly identical answers, the difference being only the type of number used:


```julia;hold=true
f(x) = 3x^3 - 2x
fp(x) = 9x^2 - 2
f'(3), fp(3)
```


##### Example

For the function $f(x) = x^2 \cdot e^{-x}$ find the absolute maximum over the interval $[0, 5]$.

We have that $f(x)$ is continuous on the closed interval of the
question, and in fact differentiable on $(0,5)$, so any critical point
will be a zero of the derivative. We can check for these with:


```julia;
f(x) = x^2 * exp(-x)
cps = find_zeros(f', -1, 6)     # find_zeros in `Roots`
```

We get $0$ and $2$ are critical points. The endpoints are $0$ and
$5$. So the absolute maximum over this interval is either at $0$, $2$,
or $5$:

```julia;
f(0), f(2), f(5)
```

We see that $f(2)$ is then the maximum.

A few things. First, `find_zeros` can miss some roots, in particular
endpoints and roots that just touch $0$. We should graph to verify it
didn't. Second, it can be easier sometimes to check the values using
the "dot" notation. If `f`, `a`,`b` are the function and the interval,
then this would typically follow this pattern:

```julia
a, b = 0, 5
critical_pts = find_zeros(f', a, b)
f.(critical_pts), f(a), f(b)
```

For this problem, we have the left endpoint repeated, but in general
this won't be a point where the derivative is zero.


As an aside, the output above is not a single container. To achieve that, the values can be combined before the broadcasting:

```julia
f.(vcat(a, critical_pts, b))
```


##### Example

For the function $g(x) = e^x\cdot(x^3 - x)$ find the  absolute maximum over the interval $[0, 2]$.

We follow the same pattern. Since $f(x)$ is continuous on the closed interval and differentiable on the open interval we know that the absolute maximum must occur at an endpoint ($0$ or $2$) or a critical point where $f'(c)=0$. To solve for these, we have again:

```julia;
g(x) = exp(x) * (x^3 - x)
gcps = find_zeros(g', 0, 2)
```

And checking values gives:

```julia;
g.(vcat(0, gcps, 2))
```

Here the maximum occurs at an endpoint. The critical point $c=0.67\dots$
does not produce a maximum value. Rather $f(0.67\dots)$ is an absolute
minimum.

!!! note
  **Absolute minimum** We haven't discussed the parallel problem of
  absolute minima over a closed interval. By considering the function
  $h(x) = - f(x)$, we see that the any thing true for an absolute
  maximum should hold in a related manner for an absolute minimum, in
  particular an absolute minimum on a closed interval will only occur
  at a critical point or an end point.

## Rolle's theorem

Let $f(x)$ be differentiable on $(a,b)$ and continuous on
$[a,b]$. Then the absolute maximum occurs at an endpoint or where the
derivative is ``0`` (as the derivative is always defined). This gives rise to:

> *[Rolle's](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolle%27s_theorem) theorem*: For $f$ differentiable on ``(a,b)`` and continuous on ``[a,b]``, if $f(a)=f(b)$, then there exists some $c$ in $(a,b)$ with $f'(c) = 0$.

This modest observation opens the door to many relationships between a function and its derivative, as it ties the two together in one statement.

To see why Rolle's theorem is true, we assume that $f(a)=0$, otherwise
consider $g(x)=f(x)-f(a)$. By the extreme value theorem, there must be
an absolute maximum and minimum. If $f(x)$ is ever positive, then the
absolute maximum occurs in $(a,b)$ - not at an endpoint - so at a
critical point where the derivative is $0$. Similarly if $f(x)$ is
ever negative. Finally, if $f(x)$ is just $0$, then take any $c$ in
$(a,b)$.

The statement in Rolle's theorem speaks to existence. It doesn't give
a recipe to find $c$. It just guarantees that there is *one* or *more*
values in the interval $(a,b)$ where the derivative is $0$ if we
assume differentiability on $(a,b)$ and continuity on $[a,b]$.

##### Example

Let $j(x) = e^x \cdot x \cdot (x-1)$. We know $j(0)=0$ and $j(1)=0$,
so on $[0,1]$. Rolle's theorem
guarantees that we can find *at* *least* one answer (unless numeric
issues arise):

```julia;
j(x) = exp(x) * x * (x-1)
find_zeros(j', 0, 1)
```

This graph illustrates the lone value for $c$ for this problem

```julia; echo=false
x0 = find_zero(j', (0, 1))
plot([j, x->j(x0) + 0*(x-x0)], 0, 1)
```


## The mean value theorem

We are driving south and in one hour cover 70 miles. If the speed
limit is 65 miles per hour, were we ever speeding? We'll we averaged
more than the speed limit so we know the answer is yes, but why?
Speeding would mean our instantaneous speed was more than the speed
limit, yet we only know for sure our *average* speed was more than the
speed limit. The mean value tells us that if some conditions are met,
then at some point (possibly more than one) we must have that our
instantaneous speed is equal to our average speed.

The mean value theorem is a direct generalization of Rolle's theorem.

> *Mean value theorem*: Let $f(x)$ be differentiable on $(a,b)$ and
> continuous on $[a,b]$. Then there exists a value $c$ in $(a,b)$
> where $f'(c) = (f(b) - f(a)) / (b - a)$.


This says for any secant line between $a < b$ there will
be a parallel tangent line at some $c$ with $a < c < b$ (all provided $f$
is differentiable on $(a,b)$ and continuous on $[a,b]$).


This graph illustrates the theorem. The orange line is the secant
line. A parallel line tangent to the graph is guaranteed by the mean
value theorem. In this figure, there are two such lines, rendered
using red.


```julia; hold=true; echo=false
f(x) = x^3 - x
a, b = -2, 1.75
m = (f(b) - f(a)) / (b-a)
cps = find_zeros(x -> f'(x) - m, a, b)

p = plot(f, a-1, b+1,         linewidth=3, legend=false)
plot!(x -> f(a) + m*(x-a),  a-1, b+1,   linewidth=3, color=:orange)
scatter!([a,b], [f(a), f(b)])

for cp in cps
  plot!(x -> f(cp) + f'(cp)*(x-cp), a-1, b+1, color=:red)
end
p
```

Like Rolle's theorem this is a guarantee that something exists, not a
recipe to find it. In fact, the mean value theorem is just Rolle's
theorem applied to:

```math
g(x) = f(x) - (f(a) + (f(b) - f(a)) / (b-a) \cdot (x-a))
```

That is the function $f(x)$, minus the secant line between $(a,f(a))$ and $(b, f(b))$.

```julia; hold=true; echo=false
# Need to bring jsxgraph into PLUTO
#caption = """
#Illustration of the mean value theorem from
#[jsxgraph](https://jsxgraph.uni-bayreuth.de/).
#The polynomial function interpolates  the points ``A``,``B``,``C``, and ``D``.
#Adjusting these creates different functions. Regardless of the
#function -- which as a polynomial will always be continuous and
#differentiable -- the slope of the secant line between ``A`` and ``B`` is alway#s matched by **some** tangent line between the points ``A`` and ``B``.
#"""
#JSXGraph(:derivatives, "mean-value.js", caption)
nothing
```

```=html
<div id="jsxgraph" style="width: 500px; height: 500px;"></div>
```

```ojs
//| echo: false
//| output: false

JXG = require("jsxgraph");

board = JXG.JSXGraph.initBoard('jsxgraph', {boundingbox: [-5, 10, 7, -6], axis:true});
p = [
  board.create('point', [-1,-2], {size:2}),
  board.create('point', [6,5], {size:2}),
  board.create('point', [-0.5,1], {size:2}),
  board.create('point', [3,3], {size:2})
];
f = JXG.Math.Numerics.lagrangePolynomial(p);
graph = board.create('functiongraph', [f,-10, 10]);

g = function(x) {
     return JXG.Math.Numerics.D(f)(x)-(p[1].Y()-p[0].Y())/(p[1].X()-p[0].X());
};

r = board.create('glider', [
                    function() { return JXG.Math.Numerics.root(g,(p[0].X()+p[1].X())*0.5); },
                    function() { return f(JXG.Math.Numerics.root(g,(p[0].X()+p[1].X())*0.5)); },
                    graph], {name:' ',size:4,fixed:true});
board.create('tangent', [r], {strokeColor:'#ff0000'});
line = board.create('line',[p[0],p[1]],{strokeColor:'#ff0000',dash:1});
```

This interactive example can also be found at [jsxgraph](http://jsxgraph.uni-bayreuth.de/wiki/index.php?title=Mean_Value_Theorem). It shows a cubic polynomial fit to the ``4`` adjustable points labeled A through D. The secant line is drawn between points A and B with a dashed line. A tangent line -- with the same slope as the secant line -- is identified at a point ``(\alpha, f(\alpha))`` where ``\alpha`` is between the points A and B. That this can always be done is a conseuqence of the mean value theorem.


##### Example

The mean value theorem is an extremely useful tool to relate properties of a function with properties of its derivative, as, like Rolle's theorem, it includes both ``f`` and ``f'`` in its statement.


For example, suppose we have a function $f(x)$ and we know that the
derivative is **always** $0$. What can we say about the function?

Well, constant functions have derivatives that are constantly $0$.
But do others? We will see the answer is no: If a function has a zero derivative in ``(a,b)`` it must be a constant. We can readily see that if ``f`` is a polynomial function this is the case, as we can differentiate a polynomial function and this will be zero only if **all** its coefficients are ``0``, which would mean there is no non-constant leading term in the polynomial. But polynomials are not representative of all functions, and so a proof requires a bit more effort.


Suppose it is known that $f'(x)=0$ on some interval ``I`` and we take any ``a < b`` in ``I``. Since $f'(x)$ always exists, $f(x)$ is always differentiable, and
hence always continuous. So on $[a,b]$ the conditions of the mean
value theorem apply. That is, there is a $c$ in ``(a,b)`` with $(f(b) - f(a)) / (b-a) =
f'(c) = 0$. But this would imply $f(b) - f(a)=0$. That is $f(x)$ is a
constant, as for any $a$ and $b$, we see $f(a)=f(b)$.

### The Cauchy mean value theorem

[Cauchy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_value_theorem#Cauchy.27s_mean_value_theorem)
offered an extension to the mean value theorem above. Suppose both $f$
and $g$ satisfy the conditions of the mean value theorem on $[a,b]$ with $g(b)-g(a) \neq 0$,
then there exists at least one $c$ with $a < c < b$ such that

```math
f'(c)  = g'(c) \cdot \frac{f(b) - f(a)}{g(b) - g(a)}.
```

The proof follows by considering $h(x) = f(x) - r\cdot g(x)$, with $r$ chosen so that $h(a)=h(b)$. Then Rolle's theorem applies so that there is a $c$ with $h'(c)=0$, so $f'(c) = r g'(c)$, but $r$ can be seen to be $(f(b)-f(a))/(g(b)-g(a))$, which proves the theorem.

Letting $g(x) = x$ demonstrates that the mean value theorem is a special case.

##### Example

Suppose $f(x)$ and $g(x)$ satisfy the Cauchy mean value theorem on
$[0,x]$, $g'(x)$ is non-zero on $(0,x)$, and $f(0)=g(0)=0$. Then we have:

```math
\frac{f(x) - f(0)}{g(x) - g(0)} = \frac{f(x)}{g(x)} = \frac{f'(c)}{g'(c)},
```

For some $c$ in $[0,x]$. If $\lim_{x \rightarrow 0} f'(x)/g'(x) = L$,
then the right hand side will have a limit of $L$, and hence the left
hand side will too. That is, when the limit exists, we have under
these conditions that $\lim_{x\rightarrow 0}f(x)/g(x) =
\lim_{x\rightarrow 0}f'(x)/g'(x)$.

This could be used to prove the limit of $\sin(x)/x$ as $x$ goes to
$0$ just by showing the limit of $\cos(x)/1$ is $1$, as is known by
continuity.

### Visualizing the Cauchy mean value theorem

The Cauchy mean value theorem can be visualized in terms of a tangent
line and a *parallel* secant line in a similar manner as the mean
value theorem as long as a *parametric* graph is used. A parametric
graph plots the points $(g(t), f(t))$ for some range of $t$. That is,
it graphs *both* functions at the same time. The following illustrates
the construction of such a graph:

```julia; hold=true; echo=false; cache=true
### {{{parametric_fns}}}



function parametric_fns_graph(n)
    f = (x) -> sin(x)
    g = (x) -> x

    ns = (1:10)/10
    ts = range(-pi/2, stop=-pi/2 + ns[n] * pi, length=100)

    plt = plot(f, g, -pi/2, -pi/2 + ns[n] * pi, legend=false, size=fig_size,
               xlim=(-1.1,1.1), ylim=(-pi/2-.1, pi/2+.1))
    scatter!(plt, [f(ts[end])], [g(ts[end])], color=:orange, markersize=5)
    val = @sprintf("% 0.2f", ts[end])
    annotate!(plt, [(0, 1, "t = $val")])
end
caption = L"""

Illustration of parametric graph of $(g(t), f(t))$ for $-\pi/2 \leq t
\leq \pi/2$ with $g(x) = \sin(x)$ and  $f(x) = x$. Each point on the
graph is from some value $t$ in the interval. We can see that the
graph goes through $(0,0)$ as that is when $t=0$. As well, it must go
through $(1, \pi/2)$ as that is when $t=\pi/2$

"""


n = 10
anim = @animate for i=1:n
    parametric_fns_graph(i)
end

imgfile = tempname() * ".gif"
gif(anim, imgfile, fps = 1)

ImageFile(imgfile, caption)
```


With $g(x) = \sin(x)$ and $f(x) = x$, we can take $I=[a,b] =
[0, \pi/2]$. In the figure below, the *secant line* is drawn in red which
connects $(g(a), f(a))$ with the point $(g(b), f(b))$, and hence
has slope $\Delta f/\Delta g$. The parallel lines drawn show the *tangent* lines with slope $f'(c)/g'(c)$. Two exist for this problem, the mean value theorem guarantees at least one will.


```julia; hold=true; echo=false
g(x) = sin(x)
f(x) = x
ts = range(-pi/2, stop=pi/2, length=50)
a,b = 0, pi/2
m = (f(b) - f(a))/(g(b) - g(a))
cps = find_zeros(x -> f'(x)/g'(x) - m, -pi/2, pi/2)
c = cps[1]
Delta = (0 + m * (c - 0)) - (g(c))

p = plot(g, f, -pi/2, pi/2, linewidth=3, legend=false)
plot!(x -> f(a) + m * (x - g(a)), -1, 1, linewidth=3, color=:red)
scatter!([g(a),g(b)], [f(a), f(b)])
for c in cps
  plot!(x -> f(c) + m * (x - g(c)), -1, 1, color=:orange)
end

p
```




## Questions

###### Question

Rolle's theorem is a guarantee of a value, but does not provide a recipe to find it. For the function $1 - x^2$ over the interval $[-5,5]$, find a value $c$ that satisfies the result.

```julia; hold=true; echo=false
c = 0
numericq(c)
```


###### Question

The extreme value theorem is a guarantee of a value, but does not provide a recipe to find it. For the function $f(x) = \sin(x)$ on $I=[0, \pi]$ find a value $c$ satisfying the theorem for an absolute maximum.

```julia; hold=true; echo=false
c = pi/2
numericq(c)
```

###### Question

The extreme value theorem is a guarantee of a value, but does not provide a recipe to find it. For the function $f(x) = \sin(x)$ on $I=[\pi, 3\pi/2]$ find a value $c$ satisfying the theorem for an absolute maximum.

```julia; hold=true; echo=false
c = pi
numericq(c)
```
###### Question

The mean value theorem is a guarantee of a value, but does not provide a recipe to find it. For $f(x) = x^2$ on $[0,2]$ find a value of $c$ satisfying the theorem.

```julia; hold=true; echo=false
c = 1
numericq(c)
```

###### Question

The Cauchy mean value theorem is a guarantee of a value, but does not provide a recipe to find it. For $f(x) = x^3$ and $g(x) = x^2$ find a value $c$ in the interval $[1, 2]$

```julia; hold=true; echo=false
c,x = symbols("c, x", real=true)
val = solve(3c^2 / (2c) - (2^3 - 1^3) / (2^2 - 1^2), c)[1]
numericq(float(val))
```


###### Question

Will the function $f(x) = x + 1/x$ satisfy the conditions of the mean value theorem over $[-1/2, 1/2]$?

```julia; hold=true; echo=false
radioq(["Yes", "No"], 2)
```

###### Question

Just as it is a fact that $f'(x) = 0$ (for all $x$ in $I$) implies
$f(x)$ is a constant, so too is it a fact that if $f'(x) = g'(x)$ that
$f(x) - g(x)$ is a constant. What function would you consider, if you
wanted to prove this with the mean value theorem?

```julia; hold=true; echo=false
choices = [
"``h(x) = f(x) - (f(b) - f(a)) / (b - a)``",
"``h(x) = f(x) - (f(b) - f(a)) / (b - a) \\cdot g(x)``",
"``h(x) = f(x) - g(x)``",
"``h(x) = f'(x) - g'(x)``"
]
answ = 3
radioq(choices, answ)
```

###### Question

Suppose $f''(x) > 0$ on $I$. Why is it impossible that $f'(x) = 0$ at more than one value in $I$?

```julia; hold=true; echo=false
choices = [
L"It isn't. The function $f(x) = x^2$ has two zeros and $f''(x) = 2 > 0$",
"By the Rolle's theorem, there is at least one, and perhaps more",
L"By the mean value theorem, we must have $f'(b) - f'(a) > 0$ when ever $b > a$. This means $f'(x)$ is increasing and can't double back to have more than one zero."
]
answ = 3
radioq(choices, answ)
```

###### Question

Let $f(x) = 1/x$. For $0 < a < b$, find $c$ so that $f'(c) = (f(b) - f(a)) / (b-a)$.

```julia; hold=true; echo=false
choices = [
"``c = (a+b)/2``",
"``c = \\sqrt{ab}``",
"``c = 1 / (1/a + 1/b)``",
"``c = a + (\\sqrt{5} - 1)/2 \\cdot (b-a)``"
]
answ = 2
radioq(choices, answ)
```

###### Question

Let $f(x) = x^2$. For $0 < a < b$, find $c$ so that $f'(c) = (f(b) - f(a)) / (b-a)$.

```julia; hold=true; echo=false
choices = [
"``c = (a+b)/2``",
"``c = \\sqrt{ab}``",
"``c = 1 / (1/a + 1/b)``",
"``c = a + (\\sqrt{5} - 1)/2 \\cdot (b-a)``"
]
answ = 1
radioq(choices, answ)
```





###### Question

In an example, we used the fact that if $0 < c < x$, for some $c$ given by the mean value theorem and $f(x)$ goes to $0$ as $x$ goes to zero then $f(c)$ will also go to zero. Suppose we say that $c=g(x)$ for some function $c$.

Why is it known that $g(x)$ goes to $0$ as $x$ goes to zero (from the right)?

```julia; hold=true; echo=false
choices = [L"The squeeze theorem applies, as $0 < g(x) < x$.",
L"As $f(x)$ goes to zero by Rolle's theorem it must be that $g(x)$ goes to $0$.",
L"This follows by the extreme value theorem, as there must be some $c$ in $[0,x]$."]
answ = 1
radioq(choices, answ)
```

Since $g(x)$ goes to zero, why is it true that if $f(x)$ goes to $L$ as $x$ goes to zero that $f(g(x))$ must also have a limit $L$?

```julia; hold=true; echo=false
choices = ["It isn't true. The limit must be 0",
L"The squeeze theorem applies, as $0 < g(x) < x$",
"This follows from the limit rules for composition of functions"]
answ = 3
radioq(choices, answ)
```