A note on symmetric and ordinary differentiation (Q1194677)

For a function \(f: \mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{R}\) the symmetric derivative of \(f\) at \(x\) is defined to be \(f_ s'(x)=\lim_{h\to 0+}(f(x+h)-f(x-h))/2h\), provided this limit exists. Let \(SD(f)=\{x: f_ s'(x)\) exists finitely\}, \(D(f)=\{x: f'(x)\) exists finitely\} and \(C(f)=\{x: f\) is continuous at \(x\}\). The symmetric porosity of \(A\) at \(x\) is defined as \(\limsup_{r\to 0+}\lambda(A,x,r)/r\), where \(\lambda(A,x,r)\) is the supremum of all numbers \(h\) such that there is a positive number \(t\) with \(t+h\leq r\) such that both the intervals \((x-t-h,x-t)\) and \((x+t,x+t+h)\) lie in the complement of \(A\). For a number \(\alpha\), \(0<\alpha\leq 1\), the set \(A\) is called \(\alpha\)-symmetrically porous if it has symmetric porosity at least \(\alpha\) at each of its points. The set \(A\) is called \(\sigma-\alpha\)-symmetrically porous if it is a countable union of \(\alpha\)-symmetrically porous sets. The author proves: If \(SD(f)\subset\overline{C(f)}\) (\(\overline A\) -- the closure of \(A\)), then \(SD(f)-D(f)\) is \(\sigma-(1-\varepsilon)\)-symmetrically porous for each \(\varepsilon\), \(0<\varepsilon<1\). This result gives an affirmative answer to a problem risen by L. Zajíček in 1991.