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Does$$\lim_{h\to 0} \frac1h\int_0^h \sin(1/t)\,dt\tag1$$ exist?

Let $F(h)=\int_0^h \sin(1/t)\,dt$. There is no closed form expression for $F$. If the limit in $(1)$ existed, then $F(h)$ would be an example of a differentiable function whose derivative is discontinuous, which is why I am interested. Solutions which are comprehensible by an exceptionally bright high school calculus student would be preferred, if possible.

My thoughts:

  • It is tempting to apply l'Hopital's rule to $\lim_{h\to 0}\frac{F(h)}{h}$, but $\lim_{h\to 0}\frac{F'(h)}{1}=\lim_{h\to 0}\sin(1/h)$ does not exist.

  • An equivalent expression, obtained from substituting $1/u$ for $x$, is $$ \lim_{h\to 0}\frac1h\int_{1/h}^{\infty}\frac{-\sin u}{u^2}\,du=\lim_{a\to\infty}a\cdot\int_a^\infty \frac{-\sin u}{u^2}\,du.\tag2$$ It is tempting to bound $\left|\int_a^{\infty}-\sin u/u^2\,du\right|$ by $\int_a^{\infty}1/u^2\,du=1/a$, but this bound is too coarse.

  • I strongly suspect the limit exists and is equal to zero. In $(2)$, I think the alternating sign of $\sin u$ causes $\int_a^\infty \frac{-\sin u}{u^2}\,du$ to go to zero faster than $a$. However, I am getting tongue-tied in making this argument formal, especially using the tools available to a high-school calculus student (l'Hopital's, MVT, integration techniques, etc).

Thank you in advance for any help.

zeta zero
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  • and also https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/1551332/prove-that-lim-h-to-0-frac1h-int-0h-cos-frac1tdt-0?noredirect=1&lq=1 – Tim kinsella Oct 14 '19 at 17:30

0 Answers0