Hints and Answers : Tutorial Sheet 3

Autumn 2022

1. (a) Limit does not exist. To show this, take the path y = mx in the
xy-plane for different values of m.
(b) Limit does not exist. Take the path y = mx.
(c) Limit does not exist. Take the path x = my 2 .
(d) Limit does not exist. Take the path x = r cos θ and y = r sin θ for
different values of θ, where r is varying. Along this path, (x, y) →
(0, 0) is equivalent to that r → 0.
(e) Limit does not exist. Take the path y = mx2 .
(f) Limit does not exist. Take the path y = mx.
(g) Limit does not exist. Take the path y = mx, where m 6= 0.
(h) Limit exists and the value is 1. Change into the polar coordinates by
setting x = r cos θ and y = r sin θ, where both r and θ are varying.
sin h
(i) Limit exists and the value is 0. You may use that lim = 1.
h→0 h
(j) Limit exists and the value is 0. Change into the polar coordinates
by setting x = r cos θ and y = r sin θ. You may use the Sandwich
Theorem for functions of two variables. Note that (x, y) → (0, 0) is
equivalent to that r → 0.
(k) Limit does not exist. Take the path x = mz 2 and y = nz 2 for different
values of m and n.
2. In order to prove that lim f (x, y) = L, for every  > 0, show
(x,y)→(x0 ,y0 )
that there exists δ > 0 such that
p
0 < (x − x0 )2 + (y − y0 )2 < δ =⇒ |f (x, y) − L| < .

You may try to show that the following values of δ will work (these values
are not unique).
(a) δ = 4 .
q
 4
(b) 0 < δ < 3 + 9 − 32 .

1
 . Setting x − 1 = r cos θ and y = r sin θ, show that |f (x, y) − 0| ≤
(c) δ = p
r = (x − 1)2 + y 2 .
(d) δ = 2 .
√
(e) δ = .
(f) δ = .
(g) δ = .
√
(h) δ = .
p
(i) 0 < δ < 2 + 1 − 1.
(j) δ = 5 . Setting x = r cos θ and y = r sin θ, show that |f (x, y) − 0| ≤
p
5r = 5 x2 + y 2 .
(k) δ = .
(l) δ = 2 .
3. In order to prove that lim f (x, y) = f (x0 , y0 ), for every  > 0,
(x,y)→(x0 ,y0 )
show that there exists δ > 0 such that
p
(x − x0 )2 + (y − y0 )2 < δ =⇒ |f (x, y) − f (x0 , y0 )| < .

You may try to show that the following values of δ will work.
6 (2, 3), then by the properties of limit, directly con-
(a) When (x0 , y0 =
clude that lim f (x, y) = f (x0 , y0 ). When (x0 , y0 ) = (2, 3),
(x,y)→(x0 ,y0 )
then apply
q  - δ method, and show that any value of δ satisfying
0 < δ < 25 5
4 +  − 2 will work.

(b) Do the same as above. When

p (x0 , y0 ) = (0, 0), then apply  - δ
method, and show that δ = 5 will work.
(c) Do the same as above. When (x0 , y0 ) = (0, 0), then apply  - δ
method, and show that δ =  will work.
(d) Do the same as above. When
√ (x0 , y0 ) = (0, 0), then apply  - δ
method, and show that δ = 2 will work.
4. You need to verify whether lim f (x, y) exists or not, and if it exists,
(x,y)→(0,0)
whether lim f (x, y) = f (0, 0).
(x,y)→(0,0)

For (a), (b), (c), (e), (f), (g) and (h), change the variables into the po-
lar coordinates (in this case, by setting x = r cos θ and y = r sin θ).
After that, you may proceed in two different ways: (1) Verify whether
lim f (r cos θ, r sin θ) exists or not, and if it exists whether this limit is
r→0
same as f (0, 0) or not. Note that (x, y) → (0, 0) is equivalent to that
r → 0, and lim f (r cos θ, r sin θ) = lim f (x, y). (2) Try to give a
r→0 (x,y)→(0,0)
p
bound of |f (x, y) − f (0, 0)| in terms of r, and hence in terms of x2 + y 2 .

2
 Then choose δ (if it exists), and apply  - δ method. The final answers are
as follows: (a) discontinuous, (b) continuous, (c) continuous, (d) discon-
tinuous, (e) discontinuous, (f) continuous, (g) continuous, (h) continuous.
For (d), you may also find two different paths along which the limits are
distinct if (x, y) approaches (0, 0).
For (i), the answer is continuous. To see this, apply  - δ method, and
show that δ = 2 will work.
5. Answer: n < 1. Hint. Set x = r cos θ and y = r sin θ.
6. Find lim f (x, y) either by various properties of limit, or by the same
(x,y)→(0,0)
methods as described in 4. The final answers are as follows: (a) c = 0, (b)
c = 0, (c) c = 1, (d) c = 0, (e) c = 0 (Hint. Same as 2c), (f) c = −1, (g)
c = 0.

7. (a) The points lying on the line x + y + 1 = 0.

(b) No such points.
8. (a) {(m, n) : m, n ∈ Z}.
(b) {(m, n) ∈ R2 : at least one of m and n ∈ Z}.