School of Computing, Information and

Mathematical Sciences

MA102: Mathematics for Science

Week 3: Lectures

TT 1
 Objectives:
• Evaluate limits of polynomials and rational
functions at infinity
• Find the derivative of functions using the
definition

TT 2
Limit at infinity

TT 3
 End behavior of polynomial
 The end behavior of a polynomial matches the
end behavior of its highest degree term. More
precisely, if cn  0 , then

TT 4
TT 5
 Limits of Polynomials as 𝑥 → ±∞

Example
lim 7𝑥 5 − 4𝑥 3 + 2𝑥 − 9 = lim 7𝑥 5 = −∞
𝑥→−∞ 𝑥→−∞

lim 4𝑥 8 + 17𝑥 3 − 5𝑥 + 1 = lim 4𝑥 8 = +∞

𝑥→−∞ 𝑥→−∞

TT 6
 Limits of Rational Functions as 𝑥 → ±∞
 Technique for determining end behavior of
functions is to divide each term by the
highest power of 𝒙 that occurs in the
denominator.

 QUICKER APPROACH:
 End behavior of rational function matches the
end behavior of the quotient of the highest
degree term in numerator and the highest degree
term in denominator
TT 7
 3𝑥+5
Example: Find lim
𝑥→−∞ 6𝑥−8
Solution:
Divide each term in the numerator and denominator by
the highest power of 𝑥 that occurs in the denominator.

3x  5 3x 1 1
lim  lim  lim 
x  6 x  8 x  6 x x  2 2

TT 8
 4𝑥 2 −𝑥
Example: Find a) lim
𝑥→−∞ 2𝑥 3 −5

5𝑥 3 −2𝑥 2 +1
b) lim
𝑥→+∞ 1−3𝑥

Solution:
a)
4 x2  x 4x2 2
lim 3  lim 3  lim  0
x  2 x  5 x  2 x x  x

5 x3  2 x 2  1 5 x3  5 
b) lim  lim  lim   x 2   .
x  1  3x x  3 x x 
 3 

TT 9
 Example

TT 10
Infinite Limits

TT 11
 Limits of Rational Functions
f  x  lim f  x
lim  x a
x a g  x  lim g  x 
x a

f  x
If lim f  x   0 and lim g  x   0, then lim may be
x a x a x a g  x 

+

 from one side and + from the other

TT 12
 Example
 Evaluate

2 x
a) lim
x 4  x  4  x  2 

x
b) lim
x 2  x  2  x  2 
TT 13
 2 x
lim
Solution a) x  4  x  4  x  2 

   
2 4
2 x 2 x
lim    
x  4  x  4  x  2  lim
x  4  x  4  x  2 

2 x
lim does not exist
x  4  x  4  x  2 
TT 14
 Solution b) x
lim
x 2  x  2  x  2 

   
2 2
x
lim  
x 2  x  2  x  2 
x
lim  
x 2  x  2  x  2 
x
lim does not exist
x 2  x  2  x  2 
TT 15
 NOTE
If lim f  x    and lim f  x   ,
x a x a

then lim f  x   
x a

If lim f  x    and lim f  x   ,

x a x a

then lim f  x   
x a

+ and - are not numbers nor mean that limit exists.

They signify that their values increase or decrease
without bound.
TT 16
 Tangent Lines, Velocities, and Rates of
Change

In this section, we will discuss the idea of

tangent lines to curves, slopes and the rates at
which one variable changes relative to another.

A line determined by two points on a curve is

called a secant line.

TT 17
 y tangent line 𝑸 secant line
𝑓(𝑥1 )
𝑦 = 𝑓(𝑥)

𝑓(𝑥1 ) − 𝑓(𝑥0 )

𝑓(𝑥0 ) 𝑷

𝑥1 − 𝑥0

𝑥0 𝑥1 𝑥

The slope of the secant line PQ is given by

𝑓(𝑥1 )−𝑓(𝑥0 )
𝑚𝑃𝑄 = 𝑚𝑠𝑒𝑐 = = 𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒 ,
𝑥1 −𝑥0

where 𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒 is the average rate of change of 𝑦 with respect to

𝑥 over the interval [𝑥0 , 𝑥1 ].
TT 18
The slope of tangent line to the curve 𝑦 = 𝑓(𝑥) at 𝑃 is
defined by

𝑓 𝑥1 − 𝑓(𝑥0 )
𝑚𝑡𝑎𝑛 = lim = 𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡
𝑥1 →𝑥0 𝑥1 − 𝑥0
Where 𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡 is the instantaneous rate of change of 𝑦 with
TT
respect to 𝑥 at 𝑥1 = 𝑥0 . 19
 Example 1:
Find an equation for the tangent line to the
parabola 𝑦 = 𝑥 2 at the point 𝑃(1, 1).

TT 20
 Solution:
Here we have 𝑥0 = 1 and 𝑓 𝑥 = 𝑥 2 , so the slope is
𝑓 𝑥 −𝑓(1) 𝑥 2 −1
𝑚𝑡𝑎𝑛 = lim = lim
𝑥→1 𝑥−1 𝑥→1 𝑥−1
(𝑥−1)(𝑥+1)
= lim
𝑥→1 𝑥−1
= lim 𝑥 + 1 = 1 + 1 = 2
𝑥→1

Using the point –slope form of the equation of a line

i.e. 𝑦 − 𝑦1 = 𝑚(𝑥 − 𝑥1 ), we find that an equation of
the tangent line at (1, 1) is

𝑦−1=2 𝑥−1 𝑜𝑟 𝑦 = 2𝑥 − 1

TT 21
 Velocities
The average velocity over time interval is

displacement 𝑓 𝑐+ℎ −𝑓(𝑐)

𝑣𝑎𝑣𝑔 = =
time ℎ

We can now define instantaneous velocity.

As in the example of the falling ball, we define the
instantaneous velocity at time 𝑡 = 𝑐 to be the limit of
these average velocities:

𝑓 𝑐+ℎ −𝑓(𝑐)
𝑣 = lim 𝑣𝑎𝑣𝑔 = lim
ℎ→0 ℎ→0 ℎ

TT 22
 Example 2: An object, initially at rest, falls due
to gravity (object falls 16𝑡 2 feet in 𝑡 seconds).
Find its instantaneous velocity at 𝑡 = 3.8
seconds and at 𝑡 = 5.4 seconds.

TT 23
 Solution:
We calculate the instantaneous velocity at 𝑡 = 𝑐 seconds.
Since f t = 16𝑡 2

𝑓 𝑐+ℎ −𝑓(𝑐)
𝑣 = lim
ℎ→0 ℎ
16(𝑐+ℎ)2 −𝑓(𝑐)
= lim
ℎ→0 ℎ
16𝑐 2 +32𝑐ℎ+16ℎ2 −16𝑐 2
= lim
ℎ→0 ℎ
= lim 32𝑐 + 16ℎ = 32𝑐
ℎ→0

The instantaneous velocity at 3.8 second is

32𝑐 = 32 3.8 = 121.6 feet per second.

The instantaneous velocity at 5.4 second is

TT 32𝑐 = 32 5.4 = 172.8 feet per 24 second.
 Slope and Rate of Change
Velocity can be viewed as rate of change – the rate of
change of position with respect to time.

Example 1: Find the rate of change of 𝑦 with respect to 𝑥 if

a) 𝑦 = 2𝑥 − 1 b) 𝑦 = −5𝑥 + 1

Solution:
a) The rate of change of 𝑦 with respect to 𝑥 is 𝑚 = 2

b) The rate of change of 𝑦 with respect to 𝑥 is 𝑚 = −5

TT 25
 If 𝑦 = 𝑓 𝑥 , then we define the
average rate of change of 𝑦 with respect to 𝑥 over the interval 𝑥0 , 𝑥1 to
be

𝑓 𝑥1 −𝑓(𝑥0 )
𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒 = …………….……(1)
𝑥1 −𝑥0

Instantaneous rate of change of y with respect to x at 𝑥0

𝑓 𝑥1 −𝑓(𝑥0 )
𝑟inst = lim ………..….(2)
𝑥1 →𝑥0 𝑥1 −𝑥0

If desired, we can let ℎ = 𝑥1 − 𝑥0, and rewrite (1) and (2) as

𝑓 𝑥0 +ℎ −𝑓(𝑥0 )
𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒 = ……………(3)
ℎ

𝑓 𝑥0 +ℎ −𝑓(𝑥0 )
𝑟inst = lim ……………(4)
ℎ→0 ℎ

TT 26
 The derivatives of functions using the definition
of derivative

We have seen that slope of the tangent line and

instantaneous velocity are clearly shows the same basic idea.

• Rate of growth of an organism (biology)

• Marginal profit (economics)
• Density of a wire (physics)
• Dissolution rates (chemistry) and others

TT 27
 Derivative
Recall:
f ( x0  h)  f ( x0 )
lim
h 0 h

• Gives instantaneous rate of change

• Gives slope of tangent line to the
curve 𝑓(𝑥) at 𝑥 = 𝑥0

TT 28
 Differentiation by first principles

The derivative of a function :

f ( x  h)  f ( x )
f '( x)  lim
h0 h

is called the derivative of 𝑓 with respect to 𝑥.

• If this limit does exist, we say that 𝑓 is differentiable at 𝑥.

• Finding a derivative is called differentiation

TT 29
Example 1:

Use the definition of derivative to compute

the derivative of f ( x)  x 2  1.

TT 30
Solution:
f ( x  h)  f ( x )
f '( x)  lim
h 0 h
 x  h 2  1   x 2  1
   
 lim
h 0 h
x 2  2 xh  h 2  1  x 2  1
 lim
h 0 h
2 xh  h 2
 lim
h 0 h
 lim  2 x  h 
h 0
 2x
TT 31
 Example 2:

Use the definition of derivative to compute the

derivative of f ( x)  1
x

TT 32
 Solution:

f ( x  h)  f ( x )
f '( x)  lim
h 0 h
1 1

 lim x  h x
h 0 h
x  ( x  h)
x( x  h)
 lim
h 0 h
h 1
 lim 
h 0 x ( x  h ) h
1 1
 lim  2
h 0 x ( x  h ) x
TT 33
 Summary
• Limits at infinity-
End behavior of functions
Polynomial, rational, exponent and log functions
 Infinite Limits
Rational functions
 Tangent Lines, Velocities, and Rates of Change
Average rate of change , instantaneous rate of
change
 To find the derivatives of functions using the
definition of derivative.
TT 34