Differentiable manifoldIn mathematics, a differentiable manifold (also differential manifold) is a type of manifold that is locally similar enough to a vector space to allow one to apply calculus. Any manifold can be described by a collection of charts (atlas). One may then apply ideas from calculus while working within the individual charts, since each chart lies within a vector space to which the usual rules of calculus apply. If the charts are suitably compatible (namely, the transition from one chart to another is differentiable), then computations done in one chart are valid in any other differentiable chart.
Support (mathematics)In mathematics, the support of a real-valued function is the subset of the function domain containing the elements which are not mapped to zero. If the domain of is a topological space, then the support of is instead defined as the smallest closed set containing all points not mapped to zero. This concept is used very widely in mathematical analysis. Suppose that is a real-valued function whose domain is an arbitrary set The of written is the set of points in where is non-zero: The support of is the smallest subset of with the property that is zero on the subset's complement.
Weierstrass functionIn mathematics, the Weierstrass function is an example of a real-valued function that is continuous everywhere but differentiable nowhere. It is an example of a fractal curve. It is named after its discoverer Karl Weierstrass. The Weierstrass function has historically served the role of a pathological function, being the first published example (1872) specifically concocted to challenge the notion that every continuous function is differentiable except on a set of isolated points.
Analyticity of holomorphic functionsIn complex analysis, a complex-valued function of a complex variable : is said to be holomorphic at a point if it is differentiable at every point within some open disk centered at , and is said to be analytic at if in some open disk centered at it can be expanded as a convergent power series (this implies that the radius of convergence is positive). One of the most important theorems of complex analysis is that holomorphic functions are analytic and vice versa.
Partition of unityIn mathematics, a partition of unity of a topological space X is a set R of continuous functions from X to the unit interval [0,1] such that for every point : there is a neighbourhood of x where all but a finite number of the functions of R are 0, and the sum of all the function values at x is 1, i.e., Partitions of unity are useful because they often allow one to extend local constructions to the whole space. They are also important in the interpolation of data, in signal processing, and the theory of spline functions.
Parametric equationIn mathematics, a parametric equation defines a group of quantities as functions of one or more independent variables called parameters. Parametric equations are commonly used to express the coordinates of the points that make up a geometric object such as a curve or surface, called parametric curve and parametric surface, respectively. In such cases, the equations are collectively called a parametric representation, or parametric system, or parameterization (alternatively spelled as parametrisation) of the object.
Differentiable functionIn mathematics, a differentiable function of one real variable is a function whose derivative exists at each point in its domain. In other words, the graph of a differentiable function has a non-vertical tangent line at each interior point in its domain. A differentiable function is smooth (the function is locally well approximated as a linear function at each interior point) and does not contain any break, angle, or cusp. If x0 is an interior point in the domain of a function f, then f is said to be differentiable at x0 if the derivative exists.
Bump functionIn mathematics, a bump function (also called a test function) is a function on a Euclidean space which is both smooth (in the sense of having continuous derivatives of all orders) and compactly supported. The set of all bump functions with domain forms a vector space, denoted or The dual space of this space endowed with a suitable topology is the space of distributions. The function given by is an example of a bump function in one dimension.
Non-analytic smooth functionIn mathematics, smooth functions (also called infinitely differentiable functions) and analytic functions are two very important types of functions. One can easily prove that any analytic function of a real argument is smooth. The converse is not true, as demonstrated with the counterexample below. One of the most important applications of smooth functions with compact support is the construction of so-called mollifiers, which are important in theories of generalized functions, such as Laurent Schwartz's theory of distributions.
Lipschitz continuityIn mathematical analysis, Lipschitz continuity, named after German mathematician Rudolf Lipschitz, is a strong form of uniform continuity for functions. Intuitively, a Lipschitz continuous function is limited in how fast it can change: there exists a real number such that, for every pair of points on the graph of this function, the absolute value of the slope of the line connecting them is not greater than this real number; the smallest such bound is called the Lipschitz constant of the function (and is related to the modulus of uniform continuity).
