Does the antiderivative of an indicator function? I have an indicator function of the form I

Gabriella Sellers

Gabriella Sellers

Answered question

2022-06-24

Does the antiderivative of an indicator function?
I have an indicator function of the form I { a < t < b } and I need the antiderivative of it with respect to t.
I believe I can't use the fundamental theorem of calculus to simply write it as 0 t I { a < s < b } d s (which would be very convenient) since it's not a continuous function.
It's not clear to me whether such a function even exists or how I would write it.

Answer & Explanation

alisonhleel3

alisonhleel3

Beginner2022-06-25Added 23 answers

Explanation:
There does not exists a function f defined on an open interval properly containing (a,b) and such that f ( x ) = I { a < x < b } ( x ). The reason is that derivatives have the intermediate value property, but the indicator function doesn't.
polivijuye

polivijuye

Beginner2022-06-26Added 16 answers

Explanation:
For t ( a , b ) we have I ( t ) = 1, so the antiderivative, say F, would be F ( x ) = x + C 1 . For x > b it would be F ( x ) = C 2 and for x < a, F ( x ) = C 3 . It is impossible to find C 1 , C 2 , C 3 to make F a differentiable function on the whole R , or on any interval containing properly (a,b).

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