Real Analysis (MAST20026)

This subject introduces the field of mathematical analysis both with a careful theoretical framework as well as selected applications. Many of the important results are proved rigorously and students are introduced to methods of proof such as mathematical induction and proof by contradiction.

The important distinction between the real numbers and the rational numbers is emphasized and used to motivate rigorous notions of convergence and divergence of sequences, including the Cauchy criterion. These ideas are extended to cover the theory of infinite series, including common tests for convergence and divergence. A similar treatment of continuity and differentiability of functions of a single variable leads to applications such as the Mean Value Theorem and Taylor's theorem. The definitions and properties of the Riemann integral allow rigorous proof of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. The convergence properties of sequences and series are explored, with applications to power series representations of elementary functions and their generation by Taylor series. Fourier series are introduced as a way to represent periodic functions.