LESSON 5 :

LIMITS OF INDETERMINATE FORMS

(Algebraic Functions)
INSTRUCTOR : MATTHEUS MARCUS B. CONTRERAS
What is an INDETERMINATE FORM?
- an expression that we cannot be able to determine the original
value even after the substitution of the limits.

Notes :
Indeterminate - Can be defined or undefined but cannot be
precisely known yet.
0 ∞
Forms : , ,∞ − ∞, 00 , 1∞ , ∞0 , 𝑎𝑛𝑑 0 ∙ ∞
0 ∞
How to deal with indeterminate forms
• Factoring/Special Products
• Rationalization/Conjugation
• Theorems(Limits at Infinity)
Factoring/Special Products
 2𝑥 2 − 𝑥 2 0 2−0 0
Evaluate : lim = = Indeterminate Form
𝑥→0 3𝑥 3(0) 0
Note: This is NOT THE
2𝑥 2 − 𝑥 𝑥(2𝑥 − 1) LIMIT/ANSWER. We need to
lim = lim apply algebraic techniques to
𝑥→0 3𝑥 𝑥→0 3𝑥 find the limit if it is
2𝑥 − 1 indeterminate.
= lim
𝑥→0 3
2(0) − 1
=
3
1
=−
3
 𝑥 2 − 16 4 2 − 16 0
Evaluate : lim = = Indeterminate Form
𝑥→4 𝑥 − 4 4−4 0

𝑥 2 − 16 (𝑥 + 4)(𝑥 − 4)
lim = lim
𝑥→4 𝑥 − 4 𝑥→4 𝑥−4
= lim 𝑥 + 4
𝑥→4

=4+4
=8
 𝑥2 − 𝑥 − 2 2 2− 2 −2 0
lim
Evaluate : 𝑥→2 = = Indeterminate Form
𝑥−2 2−2 0

𝑥2 − 𝑥 − 2 (𝑥 − 2)(𝑥 + 1)
lim = lim
𝑥→2 𝑥−2 𝑥→2 𝑥−2

= lim 𝑥 + 1
𝑥→2

= 2 +1
=3
 2𝑥 2 + 7𝑥 + 3 2 −3 2 + 7 −3 + 3 0 Indeterminate Form
Evaluate : lim = =
𝑥→−3 𝑥+3 −3 + 3 0
2𝑥 2 + 7𝑥 + 3 (𝑥 + 3)(2𝑥 + 1)
lim = lim
𝑥→−3 𝑥+3 𝑥→−3 𝑥+3
= lim 2𝑥 + 1
𝑥→−3

= 2 −3 + 1
= −5
Rationalization/Conjugation
 𝑥−2 4−2 0
Evaluate : lim = = Indeterminate Form
𝑥→4 𝑥 − 4 4−4 0
𝑥−2 𝑥+2 ( 𝑥 − 2)( 𝑥 + 2)
lim ∙ = lim
𝑥→4 𝑥 − 4 𝑥+2 𝑥→4 (𝑥 − 4)( 𝑥 + 2)
2
𝑥 − 2 2
= lim
𝑥→4 (𝑥 − 4)( 𝑥 + 2)
𝑥−4
= lim
𝑥→4 (𝑥 − 4)( 𝑥 + 2)

1 1 1
= lim = =
𝑥→4 𝑥 + 2 4+2 4
 𝑥−2 2−20
Evaluate : lim+ = = Indeterminate Form
𝑥→2 𝑥−2 2−2 0
𝑥−2 𝑥−2 2
lim+ = lim+
𝑥→2 𝑥−2 𝑥→2 𝑥−2

𝑥−2 2
= lim+
𝑥→2 𝑥−2

= lim+ 𝑥 − 2
𝑥→2

= 2−2 =0
 𝑥 − 24 24 − 24
0
Evaluate : lim = = Indeterminate Form
𝑥→24 𝑥+1−5 24 + 1 − 5 0
𝑥 − 24 𝑥+1+5 (𝑥 − 24)( 𝑥 + 1 + 5)
lim ∙ = lim
𝑥→24 𝑥+1−5 𝑥+1+5 𝑥→24 𝑥 − 24
(𝑥 − 24)( 𝑥 + 1 + 5) = lim 𝑥+1+5
= lim 𝑥→24
𝑥→24 ( 𝑥 + 1 − 5)( 𝑥 + 1 + 5) = 24 + 1 + 5
(𝑥 − 24)( 𝑥 + 1 + 5)
= lim 2 = 10
𝑥→24 2
𝑥+1 − 5
(𝑥 − 24)( 𝑥 + 1 + 5)
= lim
𝑥→24 𝑥 + 1 − 25
 Theorems
(Limits at infinity)
 Theorems Examples
1 𝑥+1 0+1 1
THM 1 : 𝑥→±∞
lim 𝑛 = 0 1)lim 𝑥 2= 2
= UNDEFINED
𝑥 𝑥→0 0 0
𝑥+1 𝑥 1
1 lim 2 = lim 2 + 2
𝑥→0 𝑥 𝑥→0 𝑥 𝑥
THM 2 : 𝑥→0
lim 𝑛 𝐷𝑁𝐸
𝑥 1 1
= lim + 2
where n ϵ 𝑁 𝑥→0 𝑥 𝑥
Note: 𝑁 = {1,2,3,4,5 … } 1 1
= lim + lim 2
𝑥→0 𝑥 𝑥→0 𝑥

*For proofs, use table of values/graph

and solve for the limit.
→ DNE
 𝑥+1 +∞ + 1 ∞
lim
Evaluate : 𝑥→+∞ = = Indeterminate Form
2𝑥 − 3 2(+∞) − 3 ∞
1 𝑥 1 1
𝑥+1 𝑥 + 1+
𝑥 𝑥 = ∞
lim ∙
1 = 𝑥→+∞
lim 3
𝑥→+∞ 2𝑥 − 3 2𝑥 3 2−
𝑥 − ∞
𝑥 𝑥
1 1+0
1+𝑥 =
= lim 2−0
𝑥→+∞ 3
2−𝑥
1
=
2
 3𝑥 2 + 2𝑥 − 1 ∞
Evaluate : lim 3 2 = Indeterminate Form
𝑥→−∞ 2𝑥 + 𝑥 − 2𝑥 + 1 ∞
1
2
3𝑥 + 2𝑥 − 1 𝑥 3 0+0−0
lim
𝑥→−∞ 2𝑥 3 + 𝑥 2 − 2𝑥 + 1
∙
1
=
2+0−0+0
𝑥3
3𝑥 2 2𝑥 1 0
3 + 3− 3 =
= lim 𝑥 𝑥 𝑥 2
𝑥→−∞ 2𝑥 3 𝑥 2 2𝑥 1
+ − +
𝑥3 𝑥3 𝑥3 𝑥3 =0
1 2 1
𝑥 + 𝑥2 − 𝑥3
= lim
𝑥→−∞ 1 2 1
2+𝑥− 2+ 3
𝑥 𝑥
 𝑥 4 + 3𝑥 + 1 ∞
Evaluate : lim = Indeterminate Form
𝑥→+∞ 𝑥2 − 2 ∞
4 1 1+0+0
𝑥 + 3𝑥 + 1 𝑥 4 =
lim 2
∙
1 0−0
𝑥→+∞ 𝑥 −2
𝑥4 1
𝑥 4 3𝑥 1 = Note : Undefined.
𝑥 4 + 𝑥4 + 𝑥4 0
= lim
𝑥→+∞ 𝑥2 2
Apply Thm 2.
−
𝑥4 𝑥4
3 1 → 𝐷𝑁𝐸
1+ 3+ 4
= lim 𝑥 𝑥
𝑥→+∞ 1 2
−
𝑥2 𝑥4
Practice Activity
Activity : Solve the limits of the following functions.
2𝑥 2 −5𝑥 𝑥+6 2𝑥−3
1) lim 6) lim 11) lim
𝑥→0 3𝑥 𝑥→−6 𝑥 2 −36 𝑥→0 𝑥 3

3𝑥 4 −𝑥 3 +𝑥 2 𝑥 2 −64 4𝑥+1
2) lim 7) lim 12) lim
𝑥→0 2𝑥 2 𝑥→8 𝑥−8 𝑥→+∞ 𝑥−3

𝑥 2 +8𝑥+15 𝑥−5 6𝑥 2 +2𝑥+1

3) lim 8) lim 13) lim 3𝑥 2 −𝑥−4
𝑥→−3 𝑥+3 𝑥→25 𝑥−25 𝑥→+∞

9𝑥 2 −6𝑥+1 𝑥−34 3𝑥 2 −3𝑥+2

4) lim1 3𝑥−1 9) lim 𝑥+2−6 14) lim 7𝑥 4 +2𝑥 2 +𝑥−1
𝑥→34 𝑥→−∞
𝑥→ 3
𝑥−5 𝑥−5 4𝑥 3 +𝑥−1
5) lim 2𝑥 2 −10𝑥−25 10) lim+ 15) lim 2
𝑥→5 𝑥→5 𝑥−5 𝑥→+∞ 2𝑥 −𝑥+3