Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2023 / ii / Paper 4 / 2F / i / Solution

LetThe function $h$ is continuous, withThe intermediate value theorem gives $c\in [0,1]$ such that $h(c)=0$, and hence $f(c)=c$. This proves the fixed-point property of a closed interval.

Now suppose $0,1\in f([0,1])$. For any $y\in [0,1]$, choose $a,b\in [0,1]$ with $f(a)=0$ and $f(b)=1$. Applying the intermediate value theorem to $f$ on the interval with endpoints $a,b$ gives a point $x$ with $f(x)=y$. Thus $f$ is a surjective function.