Understanding continuously differentiable in a example

multivariable-calculusreal-analysis

Prove that

$$f(x, y):=\left\{\begin{array}{ll}
\left(x^{2}+y^{2}\right) \sin \frac{1}{\sqrt{ x^{2}+y^{2}}}, & (x, y) \neq 0 \text { } \\
0, & (x, y)=0 \text { }
\end{array}\right.$$

is differentiable on $\mathbf{R}^{2}$ but not continuously differentiable at $(0,0)$.

My Proof-trying. Initially, we will show that $f$ is differentiable on $\mathbb{R}^2$.
If $f(x,y)\neq (0,0)$ then

$$\frac{\partial f}{\partial x} =f_{x}(x, y)=\frac{-x}{\sqrt{x^{2}+y^{2}}} \cos \frac{1}{\sqrt{x^{2}+y^{2}}}+2 x \sin \frac{1}{\sqrt{x^{2}+y^{2}}}$$

and we can see easily that $f_{x}(x, y)$ is continuous at $(x,y)$ as $(x,y)\neq (0,0).$ Similarly $\frac{\partial f}{\partial y} =f_{y}(x, y)$ is exist and it is continuous. Hence $f$ is differentiable at $(x,y)$ as $(x,y)\neq (0,0).$

Now we will check if $(x,y)=(0,0).$ By definition

$$f_{x}(0,0)=\lim _{h \rightarrow 0} \frac{f(h, 0)-f(0,0)}{h}=\lim _{h \rightarrow 0} h \sin \frac{1}{|h|}=0.$$ Similarly $f_y(0,0)=0.$ Then by the definiton of differentiability and for $B=\left[\begin{array}{ll}
0 & 0
\end{array}\right]$
, $h=(h,k)$

$$\lim_{h\to 0} \frac{f(h, k)-f(0,0)-B \cdot(h, k)}{\|(h, k)\|}=\lim_{h\to 0}\sqrt{h^{2}+k^{2}} \sin \frac{1}{\sqrt{h^{2}+k^{2}}} = 0$$ So $f$ is differentiable at $(0, 0).$

Therefore we get $f$ is differentiable on $\mathbb{R^2}$.

My questions: $1)$ What is the '' continuously differentiable at (0,0) '' mean?

$2)$ We know that if $f$ is differentiable at $a$, then we can say that $f$ is continuos at $a$ so since $f$ is differentiable on $\mathbb{R^2}$, can we say $f$ is continuous on $\mathbb{R^2}$?

$3)$ How can I show that $f$ is not continuously differentiable at $(0,0)$

Best Answer

  1. What is "continuously differentiable at $(0,0)$ mean?

It means that the (Fréchet) derivative at $(0,0)$ is continuous.

  1. We know that if $f$ is differentiable at $a$, then we can say that $f$ is continuous at $a$ so since $f$ is differentiable on $\mathbb{R^2}$, can we say $f$ is continuous on $\mathbb{R^2}$?

Yes. As saying that a map is continuous on a subset is equivalent to say that the map is continuous at each point of the subset.

  1. How can I show that $f$ is not continuously differentiable at $(0,0)$

For this, it is enough to prove that one of the partial derivative is not continuous at $(0,0)$. Which is indeed the case for $\frac{\partial f}{\partial x}(0,0)$.

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