Rolle's Theorem | Definition, Equation, & Facts | Britannica

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Rolle’s theorem mathematics Ask Anything Homework Help Written by William L. Hosch William L. Hosch was an editor at Encyclopædia Britannica. William L. Hosch Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors History Britannica AI Ask Anything Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask Anything

Rolle’s theorem, in analysis, special case of the mean-value theorem of differential calculus. Rolle’s theorem states that if a function f is continuous on the closed interval [a, b] and differentiable on the open interval (a, b) such that f(a) = f(b), then f′(x) = 0 for some x with a ≤ x ≤ b. In other words, if a continuous curve passes through the same y-value (such as the x-axis) twice and has a unique tangent line (derivative) at every point of the interval, then somewhere between the endpoints it has a tangent parallel to the x-axis. The theorem was proved in 1691 by the French mathematician Michel Rolle, though it was stated without a modern formal proof in the 12th century by the Indian mathematician Bhaskara II. Other than being useful in proving the mean-value theorem, Rolle’s theorem is seldom used, since it establishes only the existence of a solution and not its value.

William L. Hosch