Bivariate Limits

The limit command has been enhanced for the case of limits of bivariate rational functions
with non-isolated singularities. Many such limits that could not be determined previously
are now computable. If the limit exists in such a situation, it is either
or
. Maple can
also determine if the limit does not exist, and then returns
.
In Maple 18, all the following limit calls would return unevaluated, but they can now be
computed in Maple 2015.

>
>
undefined

(1)

undefined

(2)

>
>

>
>
(3)
Let us plot these three functions in the neighborhood of the origin.
In the first example, tends to
on one side of the singularity
and to
on the
other side (as shown in the following plot). Therefore, the limit at the origin does not exist.

>
>
>

Now, consider the second example.

>

tends to
is finite:

close to the singularity

. However, along the anti-diagonal

, the limit

>
(4)
Thus, does not have a limit at the origin. In fact, any number
the limit along the ray
for
:

can occur, namely, as

>
(5)
>
(6)
>

In the last example,

>

tends to

on both sides of the singularity

However, in this case the limit along any ray

with

is

as well.

>
(7)
>
(8)
>
(9)
>

(10)

You can prove that the limit exists and is

for any curve approaching the origin by using
the theory of Lagrange multipliers. The extremal values (maxima and minima) of the
function on the circle, for a fixed radius , satisfy the condition that the gradient of the
function and the gradient of the constraint equation of the circle are parallel:

>
>
>
(11)
>
(12)
>
(13)
Thus, the local maximum and minimum values of on occur when both
and
For the bivariate limit, this means that it is sufficient to consider only those critical paths
satisfying
. However, you also need to consider the global suprema and infima, which
may occur close to the singularity
.
In the example, the factor
of does not admit any real paths, so there is only one
critical path given by
(or, equivalently,
).

>
(14)
>
(15)
In order to certify the limit close to the singularity
as well, you cannot take the limit
along the singularity. Instead, consider two curves that approach the singularity closely
from the top and from the bottom, respectively:

>
(16)
>
(17)
>

>
(18)
>
(19)
>
(20)
>
(21)