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Exercise 30Calculus › Single-variable calculus › Continuity › Continuous and discontinuous functionsL1Added 2 Nov 2026

Where is 1/ln|x| continuous?

#continuity#limits#logarithm

Statement

Let g(x)=1ln⁡∣x∣g(x)=\dfrac1{\ln|x|} for x∉{−1,0,1}x\notin\{-1,0,1\}, and g(−1)=g(0)=g(1)=0g(-1)=g(0)=g(1)=0. At which points is gg continuous?

Hint

At each of the three special points, ask whether the limit exists and equals 00.

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Solution

Away from the special points. On each of the intervals (−∞,−1)(-\infty,-1), (−1,0)(-1,0), (0,1)(0,1), (1,+∞)(1,+\infty), the function is built from ∣⋅∣|\cdot|, ln⁡\ln and x↦1xx\mapsto\frac1x (the logarithm does not vanish there), so it is continuous.

At 00. As x→0x\to0, ln⁡∣x∣→−∞\ln|x|\to-\infty, hence g(x)=1ln⁡∣x∣→0=g(0)g(x)=\frac1{\ln|x|}\to0=g(0). So gg is continuous at 00.

At 11 and −1-1. As x→1x\to1, ln⁡∣x∣→0\ln|x|\to0, so ∣g(x)∣=1∣ln⁡∣x∣∣→+∞|g(x)|=\frac1{|\ln|x||}\to+\infty. The function is unbounded near 11 and cannot have limit g(1)=0g(1)=0. The same happens at −1-1.

Conclusion. gg is continuous on R∖{−1,1}\mathbb{R}\setminus\{-1,1\} and discontinuous at −1-1 and 11.

Remark. Defining a function "by 00" at a bad point repairs it only when the limit there really is 00. Here it works at 00 but not at ±1\pm1, where the blow-up is genuine.