Unit #2 - Limits, Continuity, and the Derivative

Some problems and solutions selected or adapted from Hughes-Hallett Calculus.

Continuity

2
1. Which of the following would be best represented as x + 3x + 8, if x < 9

continuous functions of time? 4. Let f (x) = 5, if x = 9

−8x + 3, if x > 9

(a) The speed of a billiard ball striking another ball,
Show that f (x) has a jump discontinuity at x = 9 by
and then being left stationary as the other ball rolls
calculating the limits from the left and right at x = 9.
away from the impact. (A ‘perfect elastic collision’ for
the physics folks out there.) (b) The temperature at a 5. The function f is given by the formula
measuring station within the Arctic circle.
(c) The speed of your car as you drive from home to 4x3 − 20x2 + 9x − 45
f (x) =
work. x−5

 when x < 5 and by the formula

−2x + b, if x < 2
2. Let f (x) = −24 f (x) = 6x2 + 6x + a
 , if x ≥ 2
x−b when 5 ≤ x. What value must be chosen for a in order
There are exactly two values for b which make f (x) a
continuous function at x = 2: find those two values. to make this function continuous at 5?
(For fun, try to graph f (x).) x2 − 64
6. Explain why the function f (x) = is discontin-
x+8
A function f (x) is said to have a jump discontinuity at uous at x = −8.
x = a if:
1. lim f (x) exists. 7. Find the value(s) of the constant c for which the func-
x→a− tion f continuous on (−∞, ∞), where
2. lim+ f (x) exists.
x→a (
3. The left and right limits are not equal. y 2 − c if y ∈ (−∞, 9)
f (y) =
cy + 3 if y ∈ [9, ∞)

8. Find the constant c for which the function f is contin-


7x − 8, if x < 3
3. Let f (x) = 2 uous on (−∞, ∞) where
 , if x ≥ 3
x+4 (
Show that f (x) has a jump discontinuity at x = 3 by cy + 4 if y ∈ (−∞, 8]
f (y) =
calculating the limits from the left and right at x = 3. cy 2 − 4 if y ∈ (8, ∞)

Limits
9. Let F be the function whose graph is shown below. (g) lim F (x)
x→1
Evaluate each of the following expressions.

(a) lim F (x)

x→−1−

(b) lim F (x)

x→−1+
(h) lim F (x)
(c) lim F (x) x→3
x→−1

(d) F (−1)
(e) lim− F (x)
x→1

(f) lim F (x) (i) F (3)

x→1+

1
 15. Evaluate the limit
(5 − x)(11 + 7x)
lim
x→∞ (3 − 11x)(7 + 6x)

16. Evaluate the limit

4x3 − 5x2 − 4x
lim
x→∞ 10 − 8x − 2x3

17. Evaluate the following limits.

10x3 − 7x2 − 4x
(a) lim
x→∞ 3 − 10x − 3x3
10x3 − 7x2 − 4x
(b) lim
x→−∞ 3 − 10x − 3x3

4,
 x < 7, 18. Evaluate the following limit.
10. Let f (x) = −3x, x = 7,
x4 − 3x2 + 4

10 + x, x > 7.

lim
Evaluate each of the following: x→∞ x5 + 3x3
(a) lim− f (x) (b) lim+ f (x) (c) f (7)
x→7 x→7 19. Evaluate the following limits.
(a) lim −24x2 + 30x3


11. Evaluate the limit x→∞
(b) lim −24x2 + 30x3


11x + 2 x→−∞
lim
x→∞ 4x2− 4x + 9
|x−5|
20. Evaluate the following limits, given f (x) = x−5 .
12. Evaluate the following limits.
2 + 10x
(a) lim (a) lim f (x)
x→∞ 9 − 4x
x→5−
2 + 10x (b) lim+ f (x)
(b) lim
x→−∞ 9 − 4x x→5
(c) lim f (x)
13. Evaluate the following limits. x→5
7x + 6 |x−2|
(a) lim 21. Evaluate the following limits, given f (x) =
2
x→∞ 11x − 9x + 10 x .
7x + 6 (a) lim f (x) (b) lim f (x) (c) lim f (x)
(b) lim x→2− x→2+ x→2
x→−∞ 11x2 − 9x + 10

14. Evaluate the following limits. 22. Find all values of the constant k such that the limit
7 shown below exists.
(a) lim x
x→∞ e + 2
7 5kx + 5
(b) lim x lim
x→−∞ e + 2 x→∞ 54x + 7

Derivative Concept and Definition

23. A car is driven at a speed that is initially high and

then decreases, starting at noon. Which of the follow-
ing could be a graph of the distance the car has traveled
as a function of time past noon? 1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6.

2 7. 8.
24. A car is driven at a constant speed, starting at noon. 27. Consider the distance vs time graph shown below.
Which of the following could be a graph of the distance
the car has traveled as a function of time past noon?

1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6.
Rank the following quantities as if along the real line
(i.e. largest negative, through zero, up to largest posi-
tive).
7. 8. A - Instantaneous velocity at t = 1.
B - Instantaneous velocity at t = 3.
25. Match the points labeled on the curve below with the C - Instantaneous velocity at t = 4.
given slopes in the following table. D - Instantaneous velocity at t = 5.
E - Average velocity over t = 1 . . . 3.
F - Average velocity over t = 4 . . . 5.
28. Let f (x) be the function whose graph is shown below.

slope -3 -1 -1/2 0 1 2
label

26. Consider the function shown in the graph below.

Determine the derivative of f (a) at the points a =
1, 2, 4, 7.
29. Let f (x) be the function whose graph is shown below.

(a)For each labelled point, is the slope of the graph Which is larger?
positive, negative or zero? • A. f 0 (6.5)
(b) At which labeled point does the graph have the
• B. f 0 (5.5)
greatest ( i. e., most positive) slope?
(c) At which labeled point does the graph have the 30. Use algebra to evaluate the following limit.
largest negative slope? (3 + h)2 − 9
lim
h→0 h

3
31. Estimate the following limit by substituting smaller Give the x-coordinate of a point where:
and smaller values of h, and by using algebra (the two
answers should be very similar!).
(a) The derivative of the function is positive.
(4 + h)3 − 64
lim (b) The value of the function is positive.
h→0 h
32. Suppose y = f (x) graphed in the figure below repre- (c) The derivative of the function is largest.
sents the cost of manufacturing x kilograms of a chem-
ical. (d) The derivative of the function is zero.

(e) The derivative of the function is approximately the

same as the derivative at x = 3.25.

34. Consider the graph of the function f (x) shown below.

f (x)/x represents the average cost of producing 1 kilo-

gram of the chemical when x kilograms are made. This
problem asks you to visualize these averages graphi-
cally.
(a) We can represent f (4)/4 as the slope of a line.
Through what points does this line extend?
(b) Which is larger, f (3)/3 or f (4)/4?
33. Consider the function y = f (x) graphed below. Using this graph, for each of the following pairs of num-
bers decide which is larger. Be sure that you can ex-
plain your answer.

(a) f (8) vs. f (10)

(b) f (8) − f (6) vs. f (6) − f (4)

f (6) − f (4) f (8) − f (4)
(c) vs.
6−4 8−4
(d) f 0 (4) vs. f 0 (10)