Continuity of transformations (Q1192751)

Let \(u: \mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{R}\) be a continuous function and \(\varphi: u(\mathbb{R})\to\mathbb{R}\) a ``transformation'' (which in our terminology does not have to be bijective). We set \(v:=\varphi\circ u\). It is well-known that continuity of \(\varphi\) implies continuity of \(v\). We consider the reversed question: Does continuity of \(v\) imply continuity of \(\varphi\)? Elementary as this question may be, we did not find a place in literature where the answer is given. In fact it is our experience that the probability that a mathematician at first sight will gamble on the wrong answer, is a strictly increasing function of his familiarity with elementary analysis, and is always above \({1\over 2}\). This paper will answer the reversed question above, in a somewhat more general setting, and give applications.