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Lecture 2.1 Rate of Change & Limits
Lecture 2.1 Rate of Change & Limits
mi
Then your average speed is: 200 mi 4 hr 50
hr
distance x
average speed
elapsed time t
A rock falls from a high cliff.
After 2 seconds: y 16 22 64
64 ft ft
average speed: Vav 32
2 sec sec
16 2 h 16 2
2 2
y
Vinstantaneous
t h
16 2 h 16 2
2 2
y
Vinstantaneous
t h
16 2 h ^ 2 64 h h 1,.1,.01,.001,.0001,.00001
y
We can see that the velocity
approaches 64 ft/sec as h becomes
h t
very small.
1 80
We say that the velocity has a limiting
0.1 65.6
value of 64 as h approaches zero.
.01 64.16
(Note that h never actually becomes .001 64.016
zero.) 64.0016
.0001
.00001 64.0002
16 2 h 16 22
2
The limit as h
approaches zero:
lim
h0 h
16 lim
4 4 h h 2
4
Since the 16 is
unchanged as h
h 0 h
approaches zero,
we can factor 16 4 4h h 2 4
out. 16 lim
h 0 h
0
16 lim 4 h 64
h 0
sin x
Consider: y
x
What happens as x approaches zero?
Graphically:
Y= y sin x / x
2
2
/2
WINDOW
GRAPH
y sin x / x
y sin x / x
Numerically:
TblSet
TABLE
y sin x / x
sin x
It appears that the limit of as x approaches zero is 1
x
TABLE
Limit notation: lim f x L
x c
sin x
So: lim 1
x 0 x
The limit of a function refers to the value that the
function approaches, not the actual value (if any).
lim f x 2
x 2
not 1
Properties of Limits:
One-sided limits approach from either the left or right side only.
lim f x
2
x 1 does not exist
because the left and
1
right hand limits do not
match!
1 2 3 4
2 lim f x 1
x 2
1
because the left and
right hand limits match.
1 2 3 4
2 lim f x 2
x 3
1
because the left and
right hand limits match.
1 2 3 4
The Sandwich Theorem:
1
Show that: lim x sin 0
2
x 0
x
1
The maximum value of sine is 1, so x sin x 2
2
x
1
The minimum value of sine is -1, so x sin x 2
2
x
1
So: x x sin x 2
2 2
x
1
lim x lim x sin lim x 2
2 2
x 0 x 0
x x0
1
0 lim x sin 0
2
x 0
x
1
By the sandwich theorem: lim x sin 0
2
x 0
x
Y= WINDOW