Calculus – Example of Function Differentiable but Second Derivative Not Defined

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Is there an example of function that is differentiable at $a$, but the second derivative is not defined at $a$? I bet that this is not possible, because if the function is differentiable then it is smooth and the slope is not vertical, so the only way the second derivative to be not defined is if the slope of the first derivative is vertical. That means that the rate of change is ambiguous at $a$, since there are at least two points almost equal for the same $x$, so I bet that such function doesn't stand a chance not even in the real world, but also in the wonderword of math. Prove me wrong!

Best Answer

The Weierstrass function is a famous example of a function which is everywhere continuous, but nowhere differentiable.

Picture from Wikipedia article

Let us write $f(x)$ for this function. Then the function given by

$$ F(x)=\int_0^xf(t)dt $$

is differentiable everywhere but twice differentiable nowhere.

See this answer for graphs of both functions.

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