LIMITS AT INFINITY

Limits at infinity are used to describe the behavior of functions

as the independent variable increases or decreases without
bound. If a function approaches a numerical value L in either of
these situations:

lim f ( x)  lim f ( x ) 
x  L x  L
and f(x) is said to have a horizontal asymptote at y=L. A
function may have different horizontal asymptotes in each
direction, have a horizontal asymptote in one direction only, or
have no horizontal asymptotes.
Theorem: if r is a positive integer, then

1
lim  0
x  x

(i)
1
lim  0
x  x
(ii)

Examples:
a.
1
5x  8 (5 x  8) 2 25 x 2  80 x  64 25 x 2  80 x  64 x 2
lim  lim  lim  lim  
x 
10 x 2  3 x  ( 10 x 2  3) 2 x  10 x 2  3 x  10 x 2  3 1
x2
80 64 80 64 1 1
25   2 25  lim  lim 2 25  (80) lim  (64) lim 2
x x  x  x x  x x  x x  x 25  (80)(0)  (64)(0)
lim   
x  3
10  2 10  lim 2
3 r ! n  r  ! 10  (3)(0)
x x  x

25  0  0 5

10  0 2
 2 5 2 5
t 3 (4   3 ) 4  3
4t  2t  5
3 2
t t  log t t 
log  log
x  8t  t  2
3 x  3 1 2 x   1 1
t (8  2  3 )  8 2  3 
b. t t  t t 
1 1
4  (2)(log )  (5)(log )
x  t x  t 3 4  (2)(0)  (5)(0) 4 1
  
1 1 (8  0  0) 8 2
(8  (log 2
)  (log 2
)
x  t x  t

CONTINUITY OF A FUNCTION
CONTINUITY OF A POINT
What does continuity of a point means? Intuitively, this means that
drawing a graph of a function, the point in question will be transverse. We start
by graphically illustrating what it means to be a continuity of a point.
Example: Consider the graph below

CHUCHUHCUHCUHC

EXAMPLE:
1 x 1
lim
1. Find x 0 x
 1  x 1
lim ,
x 0 x
rationalise
1  x 1 1  x 1
lim 
x 0 x 1 x 1
( 1  x ) 2  (1) 2
lim
x 0 x ( 1  x  1)

1  x 1
lim
x 0 x ( 1  x  1)

x
lim
x 0 x ( 1  x  1)

1
lim
x 0 1  0  1

1 1
lim 
x 0 1  1 2

PROBLEMS:
 x2  4
 ,x  2
 x2
4, x  2
A. Discuss the continuity of f(x)=  at x=2 and x=10.
Solution:
(10) 2  4 100  4 96
   12
1. f(2)=4 and f(10)= 10  2 8 8
x 2  4 (10) 2  4 100  4 96
lim 4  4and lim     12
x2 x 10 x  2 10  2 8 8
2.
x2  4
f (2)  4 lim andf (10)  12  lim
x2 x 10 x  2
3.
 x2  4
 ,x  2
 x2
4, x  2
Hence, f(x)=  is continuous at x=2 and x=10.
4x  5
f ( x) 
B. Discuss the continuity of 9  3 x at x=-1.
Solution:
4(1)  5 4  5 1
f (1)   
1. 9  3(1) 9  3 12
 2
lim x sin( )
x  x
2 2 2
2sin( ) 2sin( )
2 2
lim x sin( )  lim x sin( )  x  lim x  2 lim x  (2)(1)  2
x  x x  x 2 x  2 x  2
2. x x x
1 4x  5
f (1)   lim
3. 12 x 1 9  3 x
4x  5
f ( x) 
4. Hence, 9  3 x is continuous at x=-1.

LIMIT THEOREMS INVOLVING SINE AND COSINE

The trigonometric functions sine and cosine have four
important limit properties:
lim sin( x)  sin(c)
(a) x c

lim cos(x)  cos(c)

(b) x c

sin(x)
lim 1
(c) x 0 x
1  cos( x)
lim 0
(d) x 0 x

Examples:
cos(x) cos(0) 1 1
lim   
x  0 sin( x )  3 sin(0)  3 0  3 3
a.
sin(4 x) sin(4 x) 4 4sin(4 x) sin(4 x)
lim  lim   lim  4 lim  4(1)  4
b. x 0 x x 0 x 4 x 0 4 x x0 4x
1 1  cos( x)
1
sec( x)  1 cos( x) cos( x ) 1  cos(x)
lim  lim  lim  lim
c. x 0 x x 0 x x 0 x x  0 x cos(x)

1 1  cos x 1 1  cos x
 lim   (lim )(lim )  1 0  0
x 0 cos( x ) x x 0 cos( x ) x 0 x
Problems:
tan( x )
lim
A. Evaluate the limit x 0 x
sin(x)
tan( x) cos( x) sin( x) 1 sin( x) 1 sin( x) 1
lim  lim  lim   lim   (lim )(lim )  11  1
x 0 x x0 x x  0 cos( x ) x x0 x cos(x) x 0 x x 0 cos( x )

B. Evaluate the limit

sin( x  1) sin(x  1) 1 sin( x  1) 1 sin( x  1) 1 1
lim  lim  lim   lim lim ( )(1) 
x 1 x  x2
2 x 1 ( x  2)( x  1) x 1 ( x  2) ( x  1) x 1 ( x  2) x 1 ( x  1) 1 2 3

Evaluate the limit

1  tan( x)
lim
x
 sin( x)  cos( x)
4

sin( x) cos( x)  sin( x)

1
1  tan( x) cos( x) cos( x) cos( x)  sin( x) 1
lim  lim  lim  lim  
x  sin( x )  cos(x) x  sin( x)  cos(x) x  sin( x)  cos( x) x cos( x) sin(x)  cos(x)
4 4 4 4

1 cos( x )  sin( x) 1 (1) sin( x)  cos( x) 1 sin( x)  cos( x)

lim   lim   lim   
x
 cos( x) sin(x)  cos(x) x  cos( x) sin( x)  cos( x) x
 cos(x) sin( x)  cos( x)
4 4 4

1 1 1
lim     2
x cos(x)  1
4 cos( )
4 2

D.Evaluate the limit:

2
lim x sin( )
x  x
2 2 2
2sin( ) 2sin( )
2 2
lim x sin( )  lim x sin( )  x  lim x  2 lim x  (2)(1)  2
x  x x  x 2 x  2 x  2
x x x