[Math] Prove that $f(x)=x^2$ is uniformly continuous on any bounded interval.

compactnesscontinuityreal-analysisuniform-continuity

May I please ask how to prove that $f(x)=x^2$ is uniformly continuous on any bounded interval? I know that there is a theorem saying that every continuous function on a compact set is uniformly continuous. But on the real line, "compactness"="closed and bounded". Why is that true that boundedness itself is sufficient for uniform continuity?

Best Answer

By the mean value theorem, $f(x)-f(y)=f'(\xi)(x-y)$, for some $\xi\in[x,y]$. So, since $f'$ is continuous in $\mathbb{R}$, in a bounded domain $B$ we have $\forall x\in B\ f'(x)\leq C$, for some $C>0$ ($\bar{B}$ must be compact). It follows that $|f(x)-f(y)|\leq C|x-y|$ for all $x,y\in B$.

Next, take $\epsilon >0$. If $|x-y|<\frac{\epsilon}{C}$ then $|f(x)-f(y)|\leq C|x-y|<C\frac{\epsilon}{C}=\epsilon$.