Consider $f(x) = |x|$ at $x = 0$. Which statement is correct?
ADifferentiable but not continuous at $x = 0$
BContinuous and differentiable at $x = 0$
CNeither continuous nor differentiable at $x = 0$
DContinuous but not differentiable at $x = 0$
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. Continuous but not differentiable at $x = 0$
**Continuity at $0$.** $\lim_{x\to 0} |x| = 0 = f(0)$, so $f$ is continuous.
**Differentiability at $0$.** Compute the one-sided derivatives:
- $f'(0^+) = \lim_{h\to 0^+} \dfrac{|h| - 0}{h} = \lim_{h\to 0^+} \dfrac{h}{h} = +1$.
- $f'(0^-) = \lim_{h\to 0^-} \dfrac{|h| - 0}{h} = \lim_{h\to 0^-} \dfrac{-h}{h} = -1$.
The left and right derivatives disagree, so $f'(0)$ does not exist
→ $f$ is **not** differentiable at $0$.
**Takeaway.** Differentiability implies continuity, but the converse fails — $|x|$ is the canonical counterexample.
Keep practising Mensuration: Surface Areas & Volumes
Browse all Mensuration: Surface Areas & Volumes questions for GRE, or explore more Mathematics topics.
Related questions
A line passes through the points $(1, 2, 3)$ and $(4, 6, 9)$. The direction ratios of the The direction cosines of a line are $l$, $m$, $n$. They satisfy:The distance between two points $P(x_1, y_1, z_1)$ and $Q(x_2, y_2, z_2)$ in three-dimensiA fair coin is tossed twice. How many outcomes are there in the sample space?A hyperbola has foci at $(\pm 5, 0)$ and the length of the transverse axis is $6$. Find itWhat is the eccentricity of the hyperbola $\dfrac{x^2}{9} - \dfrac{y^2}{16} = 1$?For any hyperbola, the eccentricity $e$ satisfies:The standard equation of a hyperbola with centre at the origin and foci on the $x$-axis is