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Limit Properties: Calculus Analysis Function Input

The document discusses the concept of a limit in calculus. It defines a limit formally as how a function's output values approach a limit L as the input values approach a point p. A function is continuous if all its limits agree with the function's actual values. The limit also appears in the definition of the derivative, which is the limiting slope of secant lines to a function's graph. The document then lists several properties of limits that can simplify calculating limits, such as treating constants and adding/multiplying/dividing pieces of a function.

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MC Aberca
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
48 views

Limit Properties: Calculus Analysis Function Input

The document discusses the concept of a limit in calculus. It defines a limit formally as how a function's output values approach a limit L as the input values approach a point p. A function is continuous if all its limits agree with the function's actual values. The limit also appears in the definition of the derivative, which is the limiting slope of secant lines to a function's graph. The document then lists several properties of limits that can simplify calculating limits, such as treating constants and adding/multiplying/dividing pieces of a function.

Uploaded by

MC Aberca
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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limit of a function is a fundamental concept in calculus and analysis concerning the behavior of

that functionnear a particular input.


Formal definitions, first devised in the early 19th century, are given below. Informally, a
function f assigns an output f(x) to every inputx. We say the function has a limit L at an input p: this
means f(x) gets closer and closer to L as x moves closer and closer to p. More specifically, when f is
applied to any input sufficiently close to p, the output value is forced arbitrarily close to L. On the
other hand, if some inputs very close to p are taken to outputs that stay a fixed distance apart, we
say the limit does not exist.
The notion of a limit has many applications in modern calculus. In particular, the many definitions
of continuity employ the limit: roughly, a function is continuous if all of its limits agree with the values
of the function. It also appears in the definition of thederivative: in the calculus of one variable, this is
the limiting value of the slope of secant lines to the graph of a function.

Limit Properties
The time has almost come for us to actually compute some limits. However, before we do that
we will need some properties of limits that will make our life somewhat easier. So, lets take a
look at those first. The proof of some of these properties can be found in the Proof of Various
Limit Properties section of the Extras chapter.

First we will assume that


exist and that c is any constant. Then,

and

1.

In other words we can factor a multiplicative constant out of a limit.

2.

So to take the limit of a sum or difference all we need to do is take the limit of the
individual parts and then put them back together with the appropriate sign. This is also
not limited to two functions. This fact will work no matter how many functions weve
got separated by + or -.

3.

We take the limits of products in the same way that we can take the limit of sums or
differences. Just take the limit of the pieces and then put them back together. Also, as
with sums or differences, this fact is not limited to just two functions.

4.

As noted in the statement we only need to worry about the limit in the denominator
being zero when we do the limit of a quotient. If it were zero we would end up with a
division by zero error and we need to avoid that.
5.

In this property n can be any real number (positive, negative, integer, fraction,
irrational, zero, etc.). In the case that n is an integer this rule can be thought of as an
extended case of 3.
For example consider the case of n = 2.

Example 1 Compute the value of the following limit.


Solution
This first time through we will use only the properties above to compute the limit.
First we will use property 2 to break up the limit into three separate limits. We will then use
property 1 to bring the constants out of the first two limits. Doing this gives us,

We can now use properties 7 through 9 to actually compute the limit.

Now, lets notice that if we had defined


then the proceeding example would have been,

In other words, in this case we see that the limit is the same value that wed get by just
evaluating the function at the point in question. This seems to violate one of the main concepts
about limits that weve seen to this point.
In the previous two sections we made a big deal about the fact that limits do not care about what
is happening at the point in question. They only care about what is happening around the point.
So how does the previous example fit into this since it appears to violate this main idea about
limits?
Despite appearances the limit still doesnt care about what the function is doing at
. In this case the function that weve got is simply nice enough so that what is
happening around the point is exactly the same as what is happening at the point. Eventually we
will formalize up just what is meant by nice enough. At this point lets not worry too much
about what nice enough is. Lets just take advantage of the fact that some functions will be
nice enough, whatever that means.
The function in the last example was a polynomial. It turns out that all polynomials are nice
enough so that what is happening around the point is exactly the same as what is happening at
the point. This leads to the following fact.

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