MODULE CODE: PASAY-BC11-S2-Q1-W1-D1

Name: ________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Name of Teacher: _______________________________________ Section: ___________________

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION-NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION

SCHOOLS DIVISION OF PASAY CITY

MODULE IN BASIC CALCULUS

Second Semester/First Quarter/Week 1/ Day 1

Learning Objective: Illustrates the limit of a function using a table of values and the graph of the
function.

Introduction.

Limits are the backbone of calculus, and calculus is called the Mathematics of Change. The
study of limits is necessary in studying change in great detail. The evaluation of a particular limit is
what underlies the formulation of the derivative and the integral of a function.

LESSON PROPER

Consider a function f of a single variable x. Consider a constant c which the variable x

will approach (c may or may not be in the domain of f). The limit, to be denoted by L, is

the unique real value that f(x) will approach as x approaches c. In symbols, we write this

process as
𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒙→𝒄 𝒇(𝒙) = 𝑳
This is read, ‘‘The limit of f(x) as x approaches c is L.”

Illustrative Example 1.

Take for example the expression, lim(2𝑥 − 4) read as “The limit of (2x-4). There are two (2) things
𝑥→3
to remember here. First, f(x) = 2x – 4 and second, the constant c where x will approach is 3. To
evaluate the given limit, a table of values.

Table of values as x approaches 3 from the left Table of values as x approaches 3 from the right
x f(x) x f(x)
2 0 4 4
2.5 1 3.5 3
2.95 1.9 3.25 2.4
2.999 1.99 3.01 2.02
2.9999 1.9998 3.001 2.002

Notice the behavior of both the x and the f(x). As the values of x approach (from left and
right) 3, the values of f(x) approach 2. This behavior of the values of f(x) approaching 2 will
not change as long as the values of x are approaching 3. In symbols,

lim(2𝑥 − 4) = 2
𝑥→3

Page 1 of 5
 MODULE CODE: PASAY-BC11-S2-Q1-W1-D1

Name: ________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Name of Teacher: _______________________________________ Section: ___________________

Illustrative Example 2.
𝑥 2 −5𝑥+4
Investigate lim .
𝑥→1 𝑥−1

You may think that x ≠ 1 because it will make the expression undefined. You are right!
However, it is not a problem since values of x, in this problem, are those that are lesser than 1
(from the left) and greater than 1 (from the right). In other words, 1 is not part of the domain.

Table of values as x approaches 1 from the left Table of values as x approaches 1 from the right

x f(x) x f(x)
0 −4 2 -2
0.5 -3.5 1.5 -2.5
0.9 -3.1 1.1 -2.9
0.99 -3.01 1.01 -2.99
0.999 -3.001 1.001 -2.999

It is observable that as the values of x approach 1, the values of f(x) approach -3. In symbols,
𝑥 2 −5𝑥+4
lim = -3.
𝑥→1 𝑥−1

Illustrative Example 3. Investigate through table of values lim 𝑓(𝑥).

𝑥→4
x + 1 if x < 4
f(x) =
(x - 4)2+3 if x ≥ 4
Example 3 is different from the previous example but the process to be used is exactly is exactly the
same. Values of x will still approach the constant 4 from the left and from the right, but the functions
given will be taken into consideration.

Table of values as x approaches 4 from the left Table of values as x approaches 4 from the right

Page 2 of 5
 MODULE CODE: PASAY-BC11-S2-Q1-W1-D1

Name: ________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Name of Teacher: _______________________________________ Section: ___________________

The values of f(x) as x approaches to 4 from the left are approaching 5. On the other hand, the
values of f(x) as x approaches to 4 from the right are approaching 3. In this case, the limit of the
given function “does not exist” (DNE). In symbols,

lim 𝑓(𝑥) 𝐷𝑁𝐸

𝑥→4

Notes:

1. Do not write lim 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝐷𝑁𝐸 because it is wrong to say that lim 𝑓(𝑥) is equal. Remember
𝑥→4 𝑥→4
that DNE is not a value.
2. If x approaches c from the left, or through values less than c, then we write lim− 𝑓(𝑥).
𝑥→𝑐
3. If x approaches c from the right, or through values greater than c, then we write lim+ 𝑓(𝑥).
𝑥→𝑐
4. The lim 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝐿 if and only if lim− 𝑓(𝑥) = lim+ 𝑓(𝑥).
𝑥→𝑐 𝑥→𝑐 𝑥→𝑐
5. If the lim− 𝑓(𝑥) ≠ lim+ 𝑓(𝑥), then lim 𝑓(𝑥) DNE.
𝑥→𝑐 𝑥→𝑐 𝑥→𝑐

The Graph of the Function

One way to determine the limit of the function, as x approaches to the given value of c, is
through its graph. Let us go back to the examples we had.

1. f(x) = 2x – 4.

Figure 1, the graph on the left is the graph of

f(x) = 2x – 4. As seen on the graph, as the
values for x getting near to 3, from left or
through values lesser than 3 and from right or
through values greater than 3, f(x) values get
nearer to 2. Hence, 𝐥𝐢𝐦(𝟐𝒙 − 𝟒)=2.
𝒙→𝟑

Fig. 1

Page 3 of 5
 MODULE CODE: PASAY-BC11-S2-Q1-W1-D1

Name: ________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Name of Teacher: _______________________________________ Section: ___________________

𝑥 2 −5𝑥+4
Figure 2 is the graph of y = which is the
𝑥−1
given function in Ex. 2. Take note that,
𝑥 2 −5𝑥+4
y= 𝑥−1

(𝑥−4)(𝑥−1)
y= 𝑥−1

y=x–4
𝑥 2 −5𝑥+4
Therefore, the graph of f(x) = is similar to
𝑥−1
Fig.2 the graph of y = x – 4, except when x = 1.

For Ex.3, the function is a piece-wise function where,

As can be seen in Fig. 3, there is no limit for the given

Efunction f(x) as x approaches 4. As x takes values from

the left of 4, f(x) approaches 5. As x takes values from

right of 4, f(x) approaches 3. Hence, lim 𝑓(𝑥) DNE.

𝑥→4

Fig. 3

Exercise 1. Complete the table of values to investigate lim(𝑥 2 − 2𝑥 + 4). Calculator may be
𝑥→1
used.

Page 4 of 5
 MODULE CODE: PASAY-BC11-S2-Q1-W1-D1

Name: ________________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Name of Teacher: _______________________________________ Section: ___________________

Generalization

The limit, to be denoted by L, is the unique real value that f(x) will approach as x approaches c.
In symbols, we write this process as

𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒙→𝒄 𝒇(𝒙) = 𝑳

This is read as, ‘‘The limit of f(x) as x approaches c is L.”

Evaluation: Consider the graph of f(x) below.

Determine the following.

P 1. lim 𝑓(𝑥)
𝑥→−3
2. lim 𝑓(𝑥)
𝑥→−1
3. lim 𝑓(𝑥)
𝑥→1
4. lim 𝑓(𝑥)
𝑥→3
5. lim 𝑓(𝑥)
𝑥→5

Prepared by:

ALEJANDRO S. ANIBAN
KALAYAAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

References:

Basic Calculus, Teacher’s Guide, DepEd

Basic Calculus, Learner’s Material, DepEd
MATHEMATICS 53 Elementary Analysis 1
Institute of Mathematics, University of the Philippines, Diliman

Page 5 of 5