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. |