A smooth function on a real open interval is real analytic exactly when, near each point, there are constants such that for every and every in that neighborhood. The bound must hold on a neighborhood, not only at its center. The Taylor theorem with Lagrange remainder proves sufficiency; differentiating a convergent power series on a smaller interval proves necessity. A flat function shows why pointwise bounds alone are insufficient.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 5 1 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
The Taylor series definition says that and, for every , there is such thatThe equivalent factorial derivative criterion for real analyticity says that, for every , there are a neighborhood of and constants such thatThe uniformity over matters: bounds only at do not exclude a flat function.
Assume the factorial derivative criterion for real analyticity. The Taylor theorem with Lagrange remainder giveswhen the segment from to is contained in . For sufficiently small the Taylor remainder tends to zero, proving the Taylor series definition.
Conversely, write the convergent power series at as . Choose strictly inside its radius of convergence; then for some . Termwise differentiation on givesHere the sum is , obtained by differentiating the geometric series. This is the required locally uniform bound. The two definitions of a real analytic function are equivalent.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 5 1 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Consider the flat functionAway from zero every derivative has the form for a polynomial : differentiating preserves this form. For every ,because an exponential function decays faster than any power. Inductively, extend each displayed derivative by zero at zero. It is continuous there, and its difference quotient at zero also tends to zero by the same estimate with one extra power of . Thus each extension is the derivative of the preceding extension. This proves and for all .
Its Taylor series at zero is identically zero, whereas for every . It is smooth everywhere but not real analytic at zero.