Trigonometric Limits

We will deal here with a set of problems posed at the end of Section 3.3. In order
to find the derivatives of sin x and cos x , using the definition of derivative, we
needed to prove the limits

sin x cos x − 1
lim = 1 and lim = 0 .
x→0 x x→0 x

We are now asked to use these as the “tools” for calculating a set of limits involving
trigonometric functions on Problems 39 - 48.
€
sin 3x
39) lim
x→0 x
There is really nothing special about the variable x in this limit expression. Just
as a letter can stand in for a number in algebra, a function u(x) can be used in place of
€ a variable x in an expression, provided that the expression is still meaningful. So
saying, we can extend our “limit law” above to read

sin u
lim = 1


u→0 u

with u being some function of x . Pertinent to this problem, then, we can say that
sin 3x sin 3x
lim = 1 

, from which it follows that lim = 1 , since x certainly goes
3x → 0 3x € x → 0 3x
to zero if 3x does.

We now need to adapt this to the stated limit expression, which we can
€ accomplish by multiplying the numerator and denominator by 3 and applying the limit
€
laws appropriately:

sin 3x 3 sin 3x sin 3x  sin 3x 

lim = lim ⋅ = lim 3 ⋅ = 3 ⋅  lim  = 3 ⋅1 = 3 .
x→0 x x→0 3 x x→0 3x  3x → 0 3x  




 We can generalize this example into a result for the limit
sin mx
€ lim = 1, m ≠ 0 , n ≠ 0 ,

x →0 nx
by using
sin mx sin mx
lim = 1 ⇒ lim = 1
mx → 0 mx x → 0 mx 

€
and manipulating the limit expression

sin mx sin mx 1 sin mx m  sin mx  m m
lim = lim n = lim n ⋅ = ⋅  lim  = ⋅1 = .
x →0 nx € x → 0 ⋅ mx x →0 mx n  x → 0 mx  n n
m m

€
 sin 4 x
40) lim
x→0 sin 6x

Since there are no linear terms in this ratio at all, we will have to introduce them
ourselves. This will break up the limit expression into terms that we know how to
€ evaluate:

sin 4 x  sin 4 x 4 x   6x 1   sin 4 x 6x 4 x/ 

lim = lim  ⋅  ⋅  = lim  ⋅ ⋅ 
x→0 sin 6x x→0  4x 1   sin 6x 6x  x→0  4x sin 6x 6 x/ 

2 sin 4 x 6x 2 sin 4 x 1 2 1 2
= ⋅ lim ⋅ lim = ⋅ lim ⋅ = ⋅1 ⋅ = .
3 4 x → 0 4 x 6x → 0 sin 6x 3 x→0 4x lim
sin 6x 3 1 3
€ x →0 6x

sin mx
We can make a generalization here for lim , m≠0, n≠0 ,
x→0 sin nx
€
similar to the one we made from Problem 39:

sin mx  sin mx nx mx/  m sin mx nx

lim = lim  ⋅€ ⋅  = n ⋅ lim ⋅ lim 

x→0 sin nx x → 0  mx sin nx nx/  mx → 0 mx nx → 0 sin nx



m sin mx 1 m 1 m

 
 
 = n ⋅ lim ⋅ sin nx
= n ⋅1 ⋅ = n .
x → 0 mx lim
1
€ x →0 nx

tan 6t
41) lim
t → 0 sin 2t
€
We will break up this limit expression in a manner similar to what we used in the
previous Problem, keeping in mind the definition of the tangent function:
€
tan 6t sin 6t cos 6t sin 6t 1
lim = lim = lim ⋅ .
t →0 sin 2t t →0 sin 2t t → 0 sin 2t cos 6t

From here, we proceed in the way we have before:

sin 6t 1  sin 6t 2t 6t  1
€ lim ⋅ = lim  ⋅ ⋅  ⋅ lim 

t →0 sin 2t cos 6t t → 0  6t sin 2t 2t  6t → 0 cos 6t


sin 6t 2t 1

 = 3 ⋅ lim ⋅ lim ⋅ lim 

6t → 0 6t 2t → 0 sin 2t 6t → 0 cos 6t
€


sin 6t 2t 1 1

 = 3 ⋅ lim ⋅ lim ⋅ = 3 ⋅1 ⋅1 ⋅ = 3 .
t → 0 6t t → 0 sin 2t lim cos 6t 1
€ t →0

€
 cos θ − 1
42) lim
θ →0 sin θ 



 This is also a limit expression that needs to be re-written in terms of ratios for
which we do know limits (the two limits shown at the beginning of these notes):
€
cos θ − 1 cos θ − 1 θ cos θ − 1 θ
lim = lim ⋅ = lim ⋅ lim
θ →0 sin θ θ →0 θ sin θ θ →0 θ θ → 0 sin θ




cos θ − 1 1 1
= lim ⋅ = 0⋅ = 0 .
θ →0 θ sin θ 1
€
 
 lim
θ →0 θ

sin( cos θ )
43) lim
θ →0 sec θ
€
This limit requires a somewhat more sophisticated approach, since the
expression involves a composite function. We will need to make a substitution for the
cosine function, u = cos θ , which then requires us to make two transformations of the
€ limit expression. One is to re-write the denominator as
1 1
sec θ = = u .
cos θ
The other change is to replace the limit variable θ with u : with θ approaching zero,
we have u = cos θ approaching cos 0 = 1 . Our limit can then be evaluated as

€ θ)
sin( cos sin( u )
lim = lim = lim u sin( u ) = 1 ⋅ sin 1 = sin 1 .
θ →0 sec θ u →1 1 u u →1

This is the sine of the angle 1 radian, so it does not have a simpler form.

€ sin 2 3t
44) lim
t →0 t2
This is another limit expression we must evaluate by factoring it first:

€ sin 2 3t sin 3t sin 3t sin 3t sin 3t

lim = lim ⋅ = lim ⋅ lim = 3⋅ 3 = 9 .
t →0 t2 t →0 t t t →0 t t →0 t
This limit expression could also be written using the “limit laws” as

€ sin 2 3t  sin 3t 2  sin 3t 

2
lim = lim   =  lim  .
t →0 t2 t →0  t  t → 0 t 

This remaining limit can be evaluated using our result from Problem 39, or the
generalization we described there.
€ 

 sin θ
45) lim
θ →0 θ + tan θ

This limit is not convenient to evaluate in its given form; instead, we will work
with the reciprocal of the expression and use the “limit law”
€
 1  1
lim   = lim u(x) .
x →a  u(x) 
x →a
So saying, we have

sin θ 1 1 1
lim = € = =
θ + tan θ  θ + tan θ   tan θ   sin θ cos θ 
lim  θ + lim  θ +
θ →0
lim    
θ → 0  sin θ  θ → 0  sin θ sin θ  θ → 0  sin θ sin θ 


1 1 1
= = =
  lim θ + lim 1 1 1 

€ 
 lim  θ + 1  sin θ θ → 0 cos θ sin θ
+
lim cos θ
θ → 0  sin θ cos θ  θ →0 lim θ →0
θ →0 θ


1 1 1

 
 = 1 1
= = .
+ 1+1 2
€ 1 1

€
sin (x 2 )
46) lim
x→0 x
As with Problem 43, because the limit expression uses a composite function, we
need to make the substitution u = x2 . The denominator then becomes x → √u and the
€ limit variable is transformed into √u → 0 and so into u → 0 . This leads us to

sin (x 2 ) sin (u)

lim = lim .
x→0 x u→0 u
We still aren’t quite ready to work with this, since it involves an expression for
which we don’t know the limit. If we now make a suitable multiplication of the
numerator and
€ denominator, we obtain
sin (u) u sin (u)  sin (u)     sin (u) 
lim = lim ⋅ = lim  u ⋅  =  lim u  ⋅  lim  = 0 ⋅1 = 0 .
u→0 u u→0 u u u→0  u  u → 0  u → 0 u 

€
 1 − tan x
47) lim
x →π /4 sin x − cos x 



We find that, by a straightforward application of the “limit laws” that this
expression gives us a ratio of

π
€ 1 − tan 4 1 − 1 0

 
 π π = = " " ,
sin 4 − cos 4 2 2 0
2
− 2
so we must find some way to manipulate this limit expression to see if we can obtain
something other than an indeterminate ratio. If we multiply the numerator and
denominator by cos x , we find that we can then factor the resulting ratio:
€
 sin x 
1 −  
 cos x  cos x cos x − sin x
lim ⋅ = lim
x →π /4 sin x − cos x cos x x →π /4 (sin x − cos x) ⋅ cos x 



− (sin x − cos x) −1 −1 −1 2
= lim = lim = π = = − = − 2 .
x →π /4 (sin x − cos x) ⋅ cos x x →π /4 cos x cos 4  2 2
€  2 
 

sin (x − 1)
48) lim
x →1 x2 + x − 2
€
This is another limit expression which uses a composite function; in addition, we
have a more complicated denominator, but one which can be factored. If we perform
the factorization first, this becomes
€
sin (x − 1) sin (x − 1)  sin (x − 1)   1 
lim 2
= lim =  lim  ⋅  lim  .
x →1 x +x−2 x →1 (x − 1) (x + 2)  x →1 x − 1   x →1 x + 2  


We now deal with the composite function by using the substitution u = x – 1 , which will
also change the limit variable to have u approach zero:
€
sin (x − 1)  sin u   1  1 1
lim 2
=  lim  ⋅  lim  = 1⋅ 1+ 2 = 3 .
x →1 x +x−2  u → 0 u   x →1 x + 2 

Later in this course (Section 4.4), we will learn about a more powerful method
€ which will (usually) allow us to work out this sort of limit problem more quickly.
Nonetheless, it is useful to know about different ways of manipulating limit expressions
in order to make them easier to evaluate.

G. Ruffa

original handout – October 2005

revised 20-25 August 2009