MAT 060/051
Calculus I /
The Calculus with Analytic Geometry 1
Mathematics Department
Mindanao State University Main Campus
Marawi City
September 14, 2021
1.2 Formal Definition of Limit
- The intention of the informal discussion in section 1.1 was to give you an
intuitive(unpremiditated) grasp of when a limit does or does not exist.
However, it is neither desirable nor practical to reach into a conclusion
on limit existence by merely basing on such intuition. We must be able
to evaluate a limit or discern its existence in a somewhat technical
fashion. The theorems that we shall consider and discuss in this section
establish such a means.
- Let us consider the table of values of the function given in Example 1.1.
In detail, the variation of f (x) = 12 (3x − 1) when x is close to 4 can be
written in the following conditional statements:
x 3.99 3.999 3.99999 3.99999
1
f (x) = 2 (3x − 1) 5.485 5.4985 5.49985 5.499985
x 4.01 4.001 4.0001 4.00001
f (x) 12 (3x − 1) 5.515 5.5015 5.50015 5.500015
If 3.9 < x < 4.1, then 5.35 < f (x) < 5.65.
If 3.99 < x < 4.01, then 5.485 < f (x) < 5.515.
If 3.999 < x < 4.001, then 5.4985 < f (x) < 5.5015.
If 3.9999 < x < 4.0001, then 5.49985 < f (x) < 5.50015.
If 3.99999 < x < 4.00001, then 5.499985 < f (x) < 5.500015.
If lim f (x) = L, we say that if we let the Greek letters "Epsilon " and δ
x→a
"Delta" denote small positive real numbers, then each of the statements
above is of the form:
If 4 − δ < x < 4 + δ , then 5.5 − < f (x) < 5.5 + .
For example,
- Let δ = 0.1 and = 0.15 in the first statement, we have
If 3.9 < x < 4.1, then 5.35 < f (x) < 5.65;
- Let δ = 0.01 and = 0.015 in the second statement; we have
If 3.99 < x < 4.01, then 5.485 < f (x) < 5.515.
- Let δ = 0.001 and = 0.0015 in the third statement.
- Let δ = 0.0001 and = 0.00015 in the fourth statement;
- and δ = 0.00001 and = 0.000015 in the fifth statement and so on.
- In interval form, we have
If x is in the open interval (4 − δ, 4 + δ), then f (x) is in the open
interval (5.5 − , 5.5 + ) or equivalently,
If |x − 4| < δ , then |f (x) − 5.5| <
- Since and δ are positive real numbers, the statements above can be
written as
If 0 < |x − 4| < δ , then 0 < |f (x) − 5.5| <
Definition
Definition 1.6 Let f be a function which is defined for all x on the open
interval I containing a, except posssibly at a itself. The limit of f (x) as x
approaches to a is L, written
lim f (x) = L
x→a
if for every > 0, however small, there exists a δ > 0 such that
|f (x) − L| < whenever 0 < |x − a| < δ .
From Definition 1.6 , if
lim f (x) = L,
x→a
we say that
limit of f (x), as x approaches a, is L.
- Since can be arbitrarily small, f (x) can be made arbitrarily close to L
by choosing x sufficiently close to a.
- That is, if x is in the open interval (a − δ, a + δ), then f (x) is in the
open interval (L − , L + ).
- The following examples will illustrate how to show that lim f (x) = L
x→a
using the formal definition of limit:
Example
1.7 Prove that lim 12 (3x − 1) = 11
2 .
x→4
Solution: Let f (x) = 12 (3x − 1), a = 4, and L = 11
2 . By Definition 1.6, we
must show that for every > 0, there exists a number δ > 0 such that if
0 < |x − 4| < δ , then 12 (3x − 1) − 11
2 < .
A clue to the choice of δ can be found by examining the inequality
1 11
2 (3x − 1) − 2 < which involve . Then we have the following equivalent
inequalities:
-
1 11
(3x − 1) − <
2 2
1
|(3x − 1) − 11| <
2
|3x − 12| < 2
3 |x − 4| < 2
2
|x − 4| <
3
- The final inequality gives us the needed clue. If we take δ = 23 , then for
> 0 there exist a δ > 0 such that |x − 4| < δ , then
1 11 1
(3x − 1) − = |(3x − 1) − 11|
2 2 2
1
= |3x − 12|
2
3
= |x − 4|
2
3
< δ
2
(1)
3 2
=
2 3
= .
Therefore, lim 12 (3x − 1) = 11
2 .
x→4
Example
1.8 Prove that the lim (5x − 3) = 2.
x→1
Proof: Let > 0. We show that there exists a δ > 0 such that
|(5x − 3) − 2| < whenever 0 < |x − 1| < δ
Now,
|(5x − 3) − 2| <
|5x − 5| <
5|x − 1| <
|x − 1| < .
5
Thus we have
|x − 1| < whenever 0 < |x − 1| < δ
5
Choose δ = 5 . Then, for > 0 there exists δ > 0 such that if
0 < |x − 1| < δ , then
|(5x − 3) − 2| = 5|x − 1| < 5δ = 5 =
5
Hence,
|(5x − 3) − 2| < whenever 0 < |x − 1| < δ
Thus, by Definition 1.6, lim (5x − 3) = 2.
x→1
Example
1
1.9 Show that lim does not exist.
x→0 x
1
Suppose that lim exists. Then for some number L,
x→0 x
1
lim = L.
x→0 x
Thus, for each > 0, it is possible to find an interval (0 − δ, 0 + δ) containing
0 such that whenever 0 < |x − 0| < δ ,
1
|f (x) − L| = − L < .
x
- Now,
1 1
x− x−
1 1 − xL L L
|f (x) − L| = −L = = (−L) =L .
x x x x
1
- Note that for L 6= 0, L 6= 0, which is a contradiction. Hence, we can not
1
find a δ such that every > 0, if 0 < |x − 0| < δ , then
for x − L < .
1
Therefore, lim does not exist.
x→0 x
Exercise 1.10 Prove that lim (3 + 2x) = 1
x→−1
Exercise 1.11 Establish the following limits by means of Definition 1.6:
1. lim (5x + 7) = 17
x→2
2. lim (10 − 2x) = 16
x→−3
x
3. lim − 2 = − 35
x→1 3
4. lim x = π
x→π
5. lim 7 = 7
x→5
