MATM1534 2.

2 The limit of a function

INTUITIVE DEFINITION OF A
LIMIT
If we can get the function values as close as we want to the number by choosing the
input close enough to a specific number , then we have

Then we say that the limit of as goes to is equal to .

Thus we have if , but

It is all about how is defined close to .
 In this example it is the case that . Thus

STEWART E.G.1 ON PAGE 84

we have to see what happens to the
function values if goes closer to zero.
We start with , which is still relatively
far from 0 and then choose smaller and
smaller values of , but not .
Approximate the value of
(Note: If you see the word approximate, set up a table like below.)

±1 0.16277
±0.5 0.165525
±0.1 0.166620
±0.05 0.166655
±0.01 0.166666
CAN WE ALWAYS USE TABLES
TO FIND THE LIMIT?
E.g.2 :

E.g.5 :
ONE-SIDED LIMITS
is a right-hand limit
is ‘n left-hand limit
If
then the limit

doesn’t exist.

In the example given here we get: lim f ( x)  L1 lim f ( x)  L2

x 2 x2
EXAMPLE

As we see above, both the

left-hand limit and the
right-hand limit exists.

BUT, these two values are

not equal () and therefore
the limit of at doesn’t
exist.
INFINITE LIMITS
Stewart Example 6, page 89
Determine if it exists.
 When will the limit not exist?

Below we see 3 examples where the limit doesn’t exist.

Graph of Graph of 1/x2, Graph of sin (1/x),

|x − 2|/(x − 2), has “diverges to infinity” oscillates faster and
different limits from as x → 0. faster as x → 0.
the right and the left
as x → 2.
 lim 𝑓 ( 𝑥 ) = ∞
𝑥→𝑎
Let be a function defined on both sides of , but maybe not at itself. Then

means the value of can be made as large as we like by choosing close enough to .
We then call the vertical line , a vertical asymptote of the curve .
INFINITE LIMITS
The limit at doesn’t
exist and neither
does the right hand
or the left hand
limits.

We indicate this in a
special way:
 What about ? Any vertical asymptotes?

Consider the right-hand

limit:

Thus is a vertical
asymptote for .