Week 4

Topic 1. The Limit of a Function (Stewart, pp. 51 – 62)

1 Intuitive definition and numerical approach

Definition 1 (Intuitive Definition of a Limit). Suppose f (x) is defined when x is close to a

number a. We then write

lim f (x) = L; or f (x) → L as x → a

x→a

and say “the limit of f (x), as x tends to a, is L”

if we could make the values of f (x) arbitrary close to L taking x sufficiently close to a (but not
equal to a).

More intuitively, the values of f (x) tends to L as x tends to a.

Example 2. In all three cases below is lim f (x) = L irrespective of what is happening at a.
x→a

sin x
Example 3. Guess the value of lim
x→0 x

Solution:
x f (x)
±1.0 0.84147098
±0.5 0.95885108 sin x
y=
±0.4 0.97354586 x
From both the graph and the
±0.3 0.98506736 1
table it appears that the val-
±0.2 0.99334665
ues of sinx x approaches 1 as
±0.1 0.99833417
x approaches 0.
±0.05 0.99958339
±0.01 0.99998333
±0.005 0.99999583
±0.001 0.99999983

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 π 
Example 4. Guess the value of lim sin
x→0 x

Solution:
1


f (1) = sin π = 0 f 2
= sin(2π) = 0
f 13 = sin(3π) = 0 1


f 4 = sin(4π) = 0
f (0.1) = sin(10π) = 0 f (0.01) = sin(100π) = 0
limx→0 sin πx = 0. But this is wrong! See its graph:


We are tempted to think that

The function oscillate between 1 and −1 infinitely many times as x tends to 0. Consequently, the
limit does not exist!
For interest sake, for any n ∈ Z, if x = n1 , then
π 
sin = sin(nπ) = 0
x
2
But if x = 4n+1 , then
π  π 
sin = sin + 2πn = 1
x 2

2 One-sided limits and infinity limits

Definition 5 (Intuitive Definition of a One-Sided Limit). If the values of f (x) tends to L, as

x tends to a from the left side, then we write

lim f (x) = L [left limit]

x→a−

If the values of f (x) tends to L, as x tends to a from the right side, then we write

lim f (x) = L [right limit]

x→a+

Theorem 6. For a function f , the (two-sided) limit at x = a exists if and only if the two
one-sided limits exists at x = a and are equal. In symbols,

lim f (x) = L ⇐⇒ lim f (x) = L and lim f (x) = L

x→a x→a− x→a+

This result will in particularly be useful, when we will compute limits of piece-wise defined functions.

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Example 7. Consider the function g with graph

Determine
(a) lim g(x) (b) lim g(x) (c) lim g(x)
x→2− x→2+ x→2
(d) lim g(x) (e) lim g(x) (f) lim g(x)
x→5− x→5+ x→5

Solution: From the graph, we see that

lim g(x) = 3 and lim g(x) = 1 ̸= 3 =⇒ lim g(x) does not exist
x→2− x→2+ x→2
lim g(x) = 2 and lim g(x) = 2 =⇒ lim g(x) = 2
x→5− x→5+ x→5

Definition 8 (Intuitive Definition of an Infinite Limit). If the values of f (x) increases un-
bounded as x tends to a, we write

lim f (x) = ∞ or f (x) → ∞ as x → a

x→a

If the values of f (x) decreases unbounded as x tends to a, we write

lim f (x) = −∞ or f (x) → −∞ as x→a

x→a

The symbol ∞ is not a number. The expression lim f (x) = ∞ is usually read as
x→a

“the limit of f (x), as x approaches a, is infinity”

“f (x) becomes infinite as x approaches a”
“f (x) increases without bound as x approaches a”
Similar definitions could be given for one-sided infinite limits:

limx→a− f (x) = ∞ limx→a+ f (x) = ∞

limx→a− f (x) = −∞ limx→a+ f (x) = −∞

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 Definition 9. A function has a vertical asymptote at x = a if the any of the one-sided limits
at x = a is positive or negative infinity.

Example 10. In all the sketches below, x = a is a vertical asymptote

Theorem 11. Consider the limit

1
L = lim , where lim g(x) = 0
x→a g(x) x→a

If for all x close to x = a, but not equal to a, g(x) > 0, then L = +∞.
If for all x close to x = a, but not equal to a, g(x) < 0, then L = −∞.

For an intuitive argument why this theorem is true, consider the graph of a hyperbola! By dividing
with small positive numbers, we get large positive numbers. But by dividing by small negative
numbers, we get large negative numbers.
This theorem is also true for one-sided limits.
Example 12. Consider the graph of a function f

1 2

−1

Determine
1 1 1
(a) lim (b) lim (c) lim
x→0− f (x) x→0+ f (x) x→0 f (x)
1 1 1
(d) lim (e) lim (f) lim
x→2 f (x)
− x→2 f (x)
+ x→2 f (x)

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Solution: Both

lim f (x) = 0 and lim f (x) = 0

x→0 x→2

1
Just left of x = 0, all values of f (x) are negative, thus lim = −∞
x→0− f (x)
1
But just right of x = 0, all values of f (x) are positive, thus lim = +∞
x→0+ f (x)
1
Since the right and left limits are not equal, lim does not exist.
x→0 f (x)

Further, just left and just right of x = 2, all values of f (x) are positive. Consequently
1 1 1
lim = lim = lim = +∞
x→2− f (x) x→2 f (x)
+ x→2 f (x)

Example 13. Determine

1 − 2x 1 − 2x
lim and lim
x→3+ x−3 x→3− x−3

Solution: Notice that

lim (x − 3) = 0
x→3+

Just right of x = 3 are the x − 3 small positive numbers, consequently

1
lim = +∞
x→3+ x−3
Further

lim (1 − 2x) = 1 − 2(3) = −5 < 0

x→3+

Just as “positive times negative is negative”, it also works here:

1 − 2x
lim = −∞
x→3+ x−3
Lastly, just left of x = 3, the x − 3 are small negative numbers, consequently
1 1 − 2x
lim = −∞ =⇒ lim = +∞
x→3− x−3 x→3− x−3

Exercise 14. Sketch the graph of

1 − 2x 5
y= = −2 −
x−3 x−3
and deduce from the graph what the left and right limits at x = 3 are.