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    NUS - MA1505 (2012) - Chapter 1

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    Gilbert Sebastiano
    This document introduces functions and limits. It defines a function as a rule that assigns a unique output value to each input value. Functions can be combined using arithmetic operations like addition and multiplication or composition. A limit describes the behavior of a function as the input values get closer to a particular value without reaching it. Specifically, the limit of a function f(x) as x approaches a is L if f(x) can be made arbitrarily close to L by making x sufficiently close to a, but not equal to a. The rules of limits, such as limiting sums and products, are then discussed.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    NUS - MA1505 (2012) - Chapter 1

    Uploaded by

    Gilbert Sebastiano
    171 views7 pages
    This document introduces functions and limits. It defines a function as a rule that assigns a unique output value to each input value. Functions can be combined using arithmetic operations like addition and multiplication or composition. A limit describes the behavior of a function as the input values get closer to a particular value without reaching it. Specifically, the limit of a function f(x) as x approaches a is L if f(x) can be made arbitrarily close to L by making x sufficiently close to a, but not equal to a. The rules of limits, such as limiting sums and products, are then discussed.

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    NUS Lecture Notes - MA1505 (2012) - Chapter 1

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    This document introduces functions and limits. It defines a function as a rule that assigns a unique output value to each input value. Functions can be combined using arithmetic operations like addition and multiplication or composition. A limit describes the behavior of a function as the input values get closer to a particular value without reaching it. Specifically, the limit of a function f(x) as x approaches a is L if f(x) can be made arbitrarily close to L by making x sufficiently close to a, but not equal to a. The rules of limits, such as limiting sums and products, are then discussed.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    171 views7 pages

    NUS - MA1505 (2012) - Chapter 1

    Uploaded by

    Gilbert Sebastiano
    This document introduces functions and limits. It defines a function as a rule that assigns a unique output value to each input value. Functions can be combined using arithmetic operations like addition and multiplication or composition. A limit describes the behavior of a function as the input values get closer to a particular value without reaching it. Specifically, the limit of a function f(x) as x approaches a is L if f(x) can be made arbitrarily close to L by making x sufficiently close to a, but not equal to a. The rules of limits, such as limiting sums and products, are then discussed.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 7

    Chapter 1.

    Some Basics
    1.1

    Functions

    It is common that the values of one variable depend


    on the values of another. E.g. the area A of a region on the plane enclosed by a circle depends on
    the radius r of the circle (A = r2, r > 0 .) Many
    years ago, the Swiss mathematician Euler invented
    the symbol y = f (x) to denote the statement that
    y is a function of x.
    A function represents a rule that assigns a unique
    value y to each value x .
    We refer to x as the independent variable and y the
    dependent variable.

    MA1505 Chapter 1. Functions: Limits and Continuity

    One can also think of a function as an input-output


    system/process: input the value x and output the
    value y = f (x) . (This becomes particularly useful
    when we combine or composite functions together.)
    1.2

    Operations on Functions

    1.2.1

    Arithmetical operations

    Let f and g be two functions.


    (i) The functions (f g)(x) = f (x) g(x), called
    the sum or difference of f and g.
    (ii) The function (f g)(x) = f (x)g(x), called the product of f and g.
    (iii) The function (f /g)(x) = f (x)/g(x), called the
    quotient of f by g, is defined where g(x) 6= 0;
    2

    1.2.2

    MA1505 Chapter 1. Functions: Limits and Continuity

    Composition

    Let f : D R and g : D0 R be two (real)


    functions with domains D and D0 respectively.
    The function
    (f g)(x) = f (g(x)),
    called f composed with g or f circle g, is defined on
    the subset of D0 for which the values g(x) (i.e. the
    range of g) are in D.
    1.2.3

    Example

    Let f (x) = x 7 and g(x) = x2 (defined on all of


    R). Then
    (f g)(2) = f (g(2)) = f (4) = 3, and
    3

    MA1505 Chapter 1. Functions: Limits and Continuity

    (g f )(2) = g(f (2)) = g(5) = 25.


    Note that in general f g 6= g f .
    1.3

    Limits

    In this section we are interested in the behaviour of


    f as x gets closer and closer to a.
    1.3.1

    Example

    Let D = {x R : x 6= 0} and we consider the


    sin(x)
    . (x is
    function f : D R given by f (x) =
    x
    in radian.) Describe its behaviour as x tends to 0.
    sin(0) 0
    Clearly when x = 0,
    = does not make sense.
    0
    0
    It is defined everywhere except at 0 and thus it makes
    sense to ask how it behaves as it is evaluated at ar-

    MA1505 Chapter 1. Functions: Limits and Continuity

    guments which are closer and closer to 0.


    If we plot the graph of

    sin(x)
    x ,

    we see that as x gets

    closer and closer to 0 from either sides (and not reaching 0 itself),

    sin(x)
    x

    that the limit of

    approaches 1. In this case, we say


    sin(x)
    x

    as x tends to 0 is equal to 1.

    We use the following notation:


    sin(x)
    = 1.
    x0
    x
    lim

    1.3.2

    MA1505 Chapter 1. Functions: Limits and Continuity

    Informal Definition

    Let f (x) be defined on an open interval I containing


    x0, except possibly at x0 itself. If f (x) gets arbitrary
    close to L when x is sufficiently close to x0, then we
    say that the limit of f (x) as x tends to x0 is the
    number L and we write
    lim f (x) = L.

    xx0
    1.3.3

    Rules of Limits

    Suppose lim f (x) = L and lim g(x) = L0, then the


    xa

    xa

    following statements are easy to verify:


    (i) lim (f g)(x) = L L0;
    xa

    (ii) lim (f g)(x) = LL0;


    xa

    MA1505 Chapter 1. Functions: Limits and Continuity

    f
    L
    (iii) lim (x) = 0 provided L0 6= 0;
    xa g
    L
    (iv) lim kf (x) = kL for any real number k.
    xa

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