Let f : X ! X be a mapping from a set X to itself. We call a point x 2 X a xed point
of f if f(x) = x. For example, if [a; b] is a closed interval then any continuous function
f : [a; b] ! [a; b] has at least one xed point. This is a consequence of the intermediate
value theorem, as follows. Since f(a) a and f(b) b, we have f(b)