Uniform continuity

Continuity where a single delta works for the whole set, not point by point.
Uniform continuity

Let f:(X,dX)(Y,dY)f:(X,d_X)\to(Y,d_Y) and AXA\subseteq X. The function ff is uniformly continuous on AA if

ε>0 δ>0 such that x,yA, dX(x,y)<δdY(f(x),f(y))<ε. \forall \varepsilon>0\ \exists \delta>0\ \text{such that}\ \forall x,y\in A,\ d_X(x,y)<\delta \Rightarrow d_Y(f(x),f(y))<\varepsilon.

Compared to , the key point is that δ\delta depends only on ε\varepsilon, not on the location in AA.

Useful properties:

  • Uniformly continuous functions send Cauchy sequences to Cauchy sequences; this links naturally with .
  • If ff is continuous on a KK, then ff is uniformly continuous on KK (Heine–Cantor).
  • Every Lipschitz function (i.e., dY(f(x),f(y))LdX(x,y)d_Y(f(x),f(y))\le L\,d_X(x,y)) is uniformly continuous.

Examples in R\mathbb{R}:

  • f(x)=x2f(x)=x^2 is not uniformly continuous on R\mathbb{R}, but it is uniformly continuous on [0,1][0,1].
  • f(x)=1/xf(x)=1/x is continuous on (0,1)(0,1) but not uniformly continuous there.

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