Thomas' Calculus 13th Edition

Published by Pearson
ISBN 10: 0-32187-896-5
ISBN 13: 978-0-32187-896-0

Chapter 2: Limits and Continuity - Section 2.5 - Continuity - Exercises 2.5 - Page 85: 56

Answer

See the explanation below.

Work Step by Step

$F(x)$ is a polynomial, so it is continuous everywhere. Observe the interval $[a,b]$. Note that $\qquad f(a)=a,\qquad f(b)=b$. $y_{0}=\displaystyle \frac{a+b}{2}$ is the arithmetic mean of $f(a)$ and $f(b)$, a number halfway between $f(a)$ and $f(b)$. The Intermediate Value theorem guarantees that there exists a c from the interval such that $f(c)=y_{0}=\displaystyle \frac{a+b}{2}.$
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