Les 02 Strat Limits.

notebook

Unit 1

Limits

Feb 3­6:06 PM

Lesson 2

Strategies to Evaluate Limits

By the end of today's class, I will be able to
• evaluate a limit from its equation or graph
• apply limits to identify where a function is
discontinuous
• use limits to determine if the discontinuity is a
jump, removable or infinite discontinuity.

Feb 3­6:06 PM

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Les 02 Strat Limits.notebook

Minds On:
Construct the graph of a piecewise function
that meets the following conditions:

Feb 5­11:29 AM

Answers will vary, but one possible graph is

shown below.

Feb 5­11:29 AM

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How would your function change if the following

criteria was added?

Feb 5­11:29 AM

How would your function change if the following

criteria was added?

Answers will
vary, but one
possible graph
is shown to the
right.

Feb 5­11:29 AM

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How would your function change if the following

criteria was added?

AND if the following criteria was changed?

and

Feb 5­11:29 AM

Answers will vary, but one possible graph is shown

below.

Feb 5­11:30 AM

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Minds On: Given the function,

evaluate (multiple ways)

Feb 5­11:30 AM

Minds On: Given the function,

evaluate (multiple ways)

Graphically

Looking at the equation and graph of thefunction,

we can easily see that it is a continuous function.
What conclusion can we make about the limit of
this function as x approaches any value?
Feb 5­11:30 AM

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The limit is equal to the value of the function

at that point! That is, for a continuous
function,

Therefore,

Feb 5­11:31 AM

Example 1: Evaluate the following limits.

A) B)

C)

NOTE: As soon as you substitute in a value

the limit as x approaches a is removed from
the expression!

Feb 5­11:34 AM

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Example 1: Evaluate the following limits.

A)
B)

C)

Uh‐oh, what does this tell us

about the limit? The limit is
really 4, but how? Try to figure
it out later.

NOTE: As soon as you substitute in a value

the limit as x approaches a is removed from
the expression!

Feb 5­11:34 AM

Strategies for Evaluating Limit

1. Direct Substitution for continuous functions or
for x‐values where the function is continuous
2. Graphing: Compare the behaviour from the left
and right side of a.
3. One‐sided limits

However, these do not work to determine the limit

of

The limit in this problem is really 4 ... how can we

determine this value?
Feb 5­11:52 AM

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Evaluating Limits and Odd Results

These results tell us that we need to try a

different strategy. We will learn these strategies
later.

Feb 5­11:52 AM

Indeterminate Limits

When a limit is evaluated using substitution and

the result is

it is referred to as an indeterminate limit .

Feb 5­11:53 AM

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Les 02 Strat Limits.notebook

Activity:
In groups of 3 ‐ 4, brainstorm a strategy to evaluate the
following limits using the skills you have acquired in
previous math courses. Be prepared to present your
ideas to the class. Note: All but D) are indeterminate
limits.
A) B)

C) D)

E) F)

Feb 5­11:53 AM

A)

Factor

Feb 5­11:54 AM

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B)
Multiply by the conjugate

Feb 5­11:54 AM

C)

Simplify it further

Feb 5­11:54 AM

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D)

It is clear that there is a vertical asymptote at

x = 8. Therefore, we know the limits from the
left and the right must be +∞ and/or ‐∞.
Therefore, we can use one sided limits to
evaluate the limit.

Note: The limit does not approach a non‐

infinite constant (L) as the definition implies
and does not exist in the traditional sense, but
we can state that the limit is ∞ or ‐∞ if it
approaches an arbitrarily large or arbitrarily
small number from both sides.
Feb 5­11:55 AM

Method 1: Graphing
Graph the function by graphing the quadratic
function. Then sketch its reciprocal.)

Feb 5­11:55 AM

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Method 2: One Sided Limits

Pick a test point 0.001 to the left of your x‐value

and evaluate the function at this value to
determine whether you are approaching +∞ or
‐∞. In this case, use 7.999 as your test value.
Since the sign of the function is positive when
x= 7.999, the function will approach +∞.

Feb 5­11:55 AM

Pick a test point 0.001 to the right of your x‐value

and evaluate the function at this value to
determine whether you are approaching +∞ or
‐∞. In this case, use 8.001 as your test value.
Since the sign of the function is positive when x=
8.001, the function will approach +∞.

Feb 5­11:55 AM

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E) One Sided Limits

Since we are evaluating the limit when the

absolute value function changes from
decreasing to increasing, we need consider
the behaviour as we approach 3 from the
both sides. Therefore, we need to look at the
one sided limits.

Start by rewriting the function as a piecewise

function.

Feb 5­11:56 AM

From the left From the right

Feb 5­11:56 AM

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F) Change of Variable

Feb 5­11:57 AM

Strategies for Evaluating Limits

1. Direct Substitution
2. Factoring
3. Multiplying numerator/denominator by the
conjugate
4. Finding a common denominator
5. Graphing
6. One‐sided limits
7. Change of variable

Feb 5­11:57 AM

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Homework
1.3 # 7
1.4 # 7, 8, 11 ‐ 14, 16 ‐ 18

Feb 5­1:35 PM

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