{
  "aliases": null,
  "backlinks": [
    {
      "field": "uses",
      "target": "0TNZC55X3J"
    }
  ],
  "body": "\n## Counterexample\n\nOne could guess the following. A function of two variables is continuous when it is continuous in each variable for each fixed value of the other variable.\nThis is false.\nLet $f \\colon \\mathbb{R}^2 \\to \\mathbb{R}$ be given by $f(x, y) = \\dfrac{xy}{x^2 + y^2}$ for $(x, y) \\ne (0, 0)$ and $f(0, 0) = 0$.\nFor each fixed $b$, the function $x \\mapsto f(x, b)$ is continuous on $\\mathbb{R}$, and for each fixed $a$, the function $y \\mapsto f(a, y)$ is continuous on $\\mathbb{R}$.\nBut $f$ is not [[continuous|0JEJATBVD7]] at $(0, 0)$.\n\n## Remarks\n\nFor $b \\ne 0$, the function $x \\mapsto f(x, b)$ is a quotient of polynomials with a denominator that is never $0$. For $b = 0$, it is the constant $0$. The same holds for the other variable.\nOn the line $y = x$ with $x \\ne 0$, the value is $f(x, x) = 1/2$. So $f(x, x) \\to 1/2 \\ne f(0, 0)$ as $x \\to 0$, by the [[test with different paths|0BJ6H85DRQ]].\n\n## Explanations\n\n### L1 human\n\nSeparate continuity checks only the two directions along the axes.\nOn both axes this function is $0$, so nothing goes wrong there.\nOn the diagonal it is $1/2$ everywhere except at the origin, so the function jumps there.\n",
  "commit": "6ac761d40018146541484a9e8b9eafd6ecc303dc",
  "front": {
    "kind": "counterexample",
    "msc": [
      "26B05"
    ],
    "name": "Separately continuous but not continuous function",
    "sources": [
      {
        "locator": "Continuity and limit",
        "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Function_of_several_real_variables"
      }
    ],
    "tag": "0C0KPAKK9Y",
    "uses": [
      "0JEJATBVD7",
      "0BJ6H85DRQ"
    ]
  },
  "kind": "counterexample",
  "link": "https://math2.tamnd.com/node/0C0KPAKK9Y/",
  "links": [
    {
      "field": "uses",
      "target": "0JEJATBVD7"
    },
    {
      "field": "uses",
      "target": "0BJ6H85DRQ"
    }
  ],
  "markdown": "https://math2.tamnd.com/node/0C0KPAKK9Y.md",
  "msc": [
    "26B05"
  ],
  "name": "Separately continuous but not continuous function",
  "prov": null,
  "role": "",
  "source": "https://github.com/tamnd/math2/blob/main/nodes/0C0/0C0KPAKK9Y.md",
  "status": null,
  "tag": "0C0KPAKK9Y",
  "uri": "m2://0C0KPAKK9Y",
  "url": "https://math2.tamnd.com/wiki/separately-continuous-but-not-continuous-function/",
  "writing": {
    "tag": "0C0KPAKK9Y",
    "kind": "counterexample",
    "level": "W0",
    "next": [
      {
        "what": "an inventory row",
        "note": "the row of the inventory that the node accounts for",
        "have": 0,
        "want": 1
      },
      {
        "what": "edge refutes or not_instance_of out",
        "have": 0,
        "want": 1
      }
    ]
  }
}
