DIM5068 MATHEMATICAL TECHNIQUES 2 TOPIC 2

Topic2: Limits

2.1 The Limit of a Function

2.2 Calculating Limits Using the Limit Laws
2.3 Limits at Infinity
2.4 Limits approaching a point
2.5 Continuity
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Objectives:

The students should be able to:

1. Explain the relationship of the tangent and velocity with limits

2. Define limit, one-sided limits and infinite limit.
3. Calculate limits using the limit laws.
4. Find the limit of a function when x becomes arbitrarily large (positive or negative).
5. Determine infinite limits at infinity
6. Explain the concept of continuity
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2.1 The Limit of a Function

Limits are used to describe how a function behaves as the independent variable (x) moves
towards a certain value.

Tangent to a curve and Limit

 Tangent to the curve is a line that touches the curve.

 To define tangent to the curve at P is suffices to define the slope of the tangent at P since
the slope and the point P together can be used to obtain the equation of the tangent.

 If Q is any point on the curve different from P, the line through P and Q is called secant
line for the curve.

y1  y0
msec = slope of PQ 
x1  x0

 The problem of finding the mtan reduce to finding the ‘limiting value’ of msec as x gets
closer to 1 (𝑥 ≠ 1 to ensure that P and Q remain distinct)

2.2 Calculating Limits Using the Limit Laws

Limit Laws
Suppose that c is a constant and the limits lim f ( x) and lim g ( x) exist. Then
xa x a

1. lim [ f ( x)  g ( x)]  lim f ( x)  lim g ( x)

x a x a x a

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DIM5068 MATHEMATICAL TECHNIQUES 2 TOPIC 2

2. lim[ f ( x)  g ( x)]  lim f ( x)  lim g ( x)

x a x a x a

3. lim [cf ( x)]  c lim f ( x)

x a xa

4. lim [ f ( x) g ( x)]  lim f ( x)  lim g ( x)

x a x a x a

f ( x) lim f ( x)
5. lim  x a if lim g ( x)  0
x a g ( x) lim g ( x) x a
xa

x a

6. lim[ f ( x)]n  lim f ( x)
x a
n
where n is a positive integer.

7. lim c  c
x a

8. lim x  a
xa

9. lim x n  a n where n is a positive integer

x a

10. lim n x  n a where n is a positive integer

x a

11. lim n f ( x)  n lim f ( x) where n is a positive integer.

x a x a

If f is a polynomial or a rational function and a is in the domain of f, then lim f ( x)  f (a )

xa

2.3 Limits at Infinity

Definition:
1. Let f be a function defined on some interval a,   . Then

lim f ( x)  L
x 

means that the values of f(x) can be made arbitrarily close to L by taking x sufficiently
large.

2. Let f be a function defined on some interval  , a  . Then

lim f ( x)  L
x  

means that the values of f(x) can be made arbitrarily close to L by taking x sufficiently
large negative.

3. The line y = L is called a horizontal asymptote of the curve y = f(x) if either

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DIM5068 MATHEMATICAL TECHNIQUES 2 TOPIC 2

lim f ( x)  L or lim f ( x)  L
x  x  

Theorem:
1
a) If r  0 is a rational number, then lim  0.
x  xr
1
b) If r  0 is a rational number such that x r is defined for all x,then lim 0
x   xr

Example:
1
Let f ( x)  . The following table shows a few corresponding value of x and f(x).
x
x 1 100 10 000 1 000 000 10 000 000
1
x

The table above shows that as the value of x_________, the value of f(x) becomes ________.

 Hence, a conclusion can be made that as x approaches  (infinity), f(x) approaches 0.

[when x  , f ( x)  0 ]
 This condition is read as ‘the limit of f(x) as x approaches  is 0’ and is written as

1
lim  0
x  x

Note:
 ‘→’ is read as ‘approaches’ or ‘tends to’
  is read as ‘infinity’. It represents an extremely large value to the extent that it cannot
be defined.
 ‘n →’ does not mean n =  but n approaches .

Example: Evaluate the limit

x x
 3  2 
a. lim  b. lim 
x  x  7
 
x  8
 

 3r  5  7t 3  4t
c. lim  d. lim
r  5r  2 t  2t 3  t 2  3
 

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DIM5068 MATHEMATICAL TECHNIQUES 2 TOPIC 2


e. lim x  x 2  2 x
x 


2.4 Limits approaching a point

Definition: lim f x   L
x a

means “the limit of f(x), as x approaches a, equals to L” if we can make the values of f(x)
arbitrarily close to L (as close to L as we like) by taking x to be sufficiently close to a, but not
equal to a.

Example 1:
 10 
Find the lim   by completing the following table.
x 0
 x
x 1 0.01 0.0001 0.000001 0.0000001
10
x

10
From the table above, as x  0, 
x
 10 
Hence, lim  
x 0
 x

Example 2:
 1 
Find the lim   by completing the following table.
n 0 n  4
 
n 1 0.1 0.01 0.001 0.0001 0. 00001
1
n4
1
From the table above, as n  0, 
n4
 1 
Hence, lim  =
n 0 n  4
 

Example 3:
 1 
Find the lim   without constructing a table.
n 1 7  n
 

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DIM5068 MATHEMATICAL TECHNIQUES 2 TOPIC 2

 1 
lim
n 1 7  n

 
Example: Evaluate the following limits.


a. lim x 2  4 x  3
x 5
 b. lim
5x 3  4
x 2 x  3

c. lim 
 x2  9 
 d. lim
4  x 2  16
x 3
 x3  x 0 x

d. When lim f x   1 and lim g  x   1 , then find lim  f x   g ( x)

x  2 x  2 x  2

e. Find lim  f x g ( x) when lim f x   2 and lim g x   1 .

x1 x 1 x 1

2.5 Continuity

Definition: A function f is continuous at a number a if

lim f ( x)  f (a)
x a

A function f is said to be continuous at a point a if the following condition are satisfied:

1. f (a) is defined (that is, a is in the domain of f )
2. lim f ( x) exist
x a

3. lim f ( x)  f (a)
xa

- If one or more of the conditions are not satisfied, then f is called discontinuous at c, and
c is called a point of discontinuity of f.
- f is continuous at (a,b) – f is continuous at all points of an open interval (a,b).
- If f is continuous on (,) - f is continuous everywhere.

There are 3 types of discontinuity:

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DIM5068 MATHEMATICAL TECHNIQUES 2 TOPIC 2

1. Removable discontinuity
2. Infinite discontinuity
3. Jump discontinuity because the function “jumps” from value to another.

One –sided Limits

Theorem:

lim f ( x)  L if and only if lim f ( x)  L  lim f ( x)

xa x a x a 

1. If the value of f(x) approaches the number L1 as x approaches a from the right
side, we write lim f ( x)  L1 (one-sided limit) or f ( x)  L1 as x  a 
xa

2. If the value of f(x) approaches the number L2 as x approaches a from the left side, we
write lim f ( x)  L2 (one-sided limit)
x a

3. If both one-sided limits have the same value ( L1  L2  L ), we write

lim f ( x)  L if and only if lim f ( x)  lim f ( x)  L .
xa x a x a

4. If both one-sided limits do not have the same value ( L1  L2  L ), we write

lim f ( x)  L does not exist.
xa

Note: The limit of a function f(x) as x approaches a does not depend on the value of the
function at a [limit does not depend on f(a)]

Example:
Let f ( x)  2 x 2  4 . Complete the corresponding value of x and f(x).

What happens to the values of f(x) as x moves along the x-axis towards 2?

x 1.0 1.9 1.95 1.99 1.999 2 2.001 2.01 2.05 2.1 2.5
f(x)

As x approaches 2 from the left ( x  2  ), values of f(x) approaches 4 ( f ( x)  4 )

We write lim (2 x 2  4) 
x2

As x approaches 2 from the right ( x  2  ), values of f(x) approaches 4 ( f ( x)  4 )

We write lim (2 x 2  4) 
x 2 

As x approaches 2 from both sides ( x  2 ), values of f(x) approaches 4 ( f ( x)  4 )

We write lim(2 x 2  4) 
x2

Example:

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DIM5068 MATHEMATICAL TECHNIQUES 2 TOPIC 2

3t  7 if t  3
1. Let f (t )   , find:
t  1 if t  3

a. lim f (t ) b. lim f (t ) c. lim f (t )

t 3  t 3 t3

2 x  1 if x  2

2. For the function f ( x)  1 if x  2 , find:
 x  2 if x  2


a. lim f ( x ) b. lim f ( x ) c. lim f ( x)

x2 x2 x 2

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