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Chapter 1. Limits and Continuity 1.3. Limits Involving Infinity

The document defines limits involving infinity, including: 1) The formal definition of limits as x approaches positive or negative infinity. 2) Informal definitions of limits at infinity, describing the behavior of a function as x moves increasingly far from the origin. 3) Rules for calculating limits at infinity using sum, difference, product, quotient, and power rules. 4) The definition of infinite limits, describing functions that approach positive or negative infinity. 5) Definitions of horizontal and vertical asymptotes in terms of limits at infinity.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
64 views7 pages

Chapter 1. Limits and Continuity 1.3. Limits Involving Infinity

The document defines limits involving infinity, including: 1) The formal definition of limits as x approaches positive or negative infinity. 2) Informal definitions of limits at infinity, describing the behavior of a function as x moves increasingly far from the origin. 3) Rules for calculating limits at infinity using sum, difference, product, quotient, and power rules. 4) The definition of infinite limits, describing functions that approach positive or negative infinity. 5) Definitions of horizontal and vertical asymptotes in terms of limits at infinity.
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
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Chapter 1. Limits and Continuity 1.3.

Limits Involving Innity

Denition. Formal Denition of Limits at Innity. (NOT IN 10TH EDITION!) 1. We say that f (x) has the limit L as x approaches innity and we write
x+

lim f (x) = L

if, for every number such that for all x

> 0, there exists a corresponding number M

x>M

|f (x) L| < .

2. We say that f (x) has the limit L as x approaches negative innity and we write
x

lim f (x) = L

if, for every number such that for all x

> 0, there exists a corresponding number N

x<N

|f (x) L| < .

Denition. Informal Denition of Limits Involving Innity. 1. We say that f (x) has the limit L as x approaches innity and write
x+

lim f (x) = L

if, as x moves increasingly far from the origin in the positive direction, f (x) gets arbitrarily close to L. 2. We say that f (x) has the limit L as x approaches negative innity and write
x

lim f (x) = L

if, as x moves increasingly far from the origin in the negative direction, f (x) gets arbitrarily close to L.

Example. Example 1 page 112. Show that x lim

1 = 0. x

Solution. Let > 0 be given. We must nd a number M such that for all 1 1 < . 0 = x x The implication will hold if M = 1/ or any larger positive number (see 1 the gure below). This proves x = 0. We can similarly prove that lim x 1 = 0. QED lim x x x>M
2

Figure 1.3.34, page 221 of 9th edition.

Theorem 7. Rules for Limits as x . If L, M , and k are real numbers and


x

lim f (x) = L
x

and

lim = M,

then

1. Sum Rule: lim (f (x) + g(x)) = L + M 2. Dierence Rule: lim (f (x) g(x)) = L M
x

3. Product Rule: lim (f (x) g(x)) = L M


x 3

4. Constant Multiple Rule: lim (k f (x)) = k L


x

5. Quotient Rule: lim

f (x) L = ,M = 0 x g(x) M

6. Power Rule: If r and s are integers, s = 0, then


x

lim (f (x))r/s = Lr/s

provided that Lr/s is a real number AND L > 0.

Note. As in section 1.1, there is an error in the text with part 6 of 1 Theorem 7, as can be seen by considering lim which clearly does x x not exist (but would be 0 by the use of Theorem 7, part 6 as stated in the text, with f (x) = 1/x, r = 1 and s = 2). Example. Page 122 number 10.

Denition. Innite Limits 1. We say that f (x) approaches innity as x approaches x0, and we write
xx0

lim f (x) = ,

if for every positive real number B there exists a corresponding > 0 such that for all x 0 < |x x0| < f (x) > B.

2. We say that f (x) approaches negative innity as x approaches x0, and we write
xx0

lim f (x) = ,

if for every negative real number B there exists a corresponding > 0 such that for all x 0 < |x x0| < f (x) < B.

Figure 1.3.39 and 1.3.40, page 119.

Note. Informally, xx f (x) = if f (x) can be made arbitrarily large by lim


0

making x suciently close to x0 (and similarly for f approaching negative innity). We can also dene one-sided innite limits in an analogous manner.

Denition. Horizontal and Vertical Asymptotes. A line y = b is a horizontal asymptote of the graph of a function y = f (x) if either
x

lim f (x) = b

or

lim f (x) = b.

A line x = a is a vertical asymptote of the graph if either


xa+

lim f (x) =

or

xa

lim f (x) = .

Example. Page 122 number 32. Denition. End Behavior Model The function g is (a) a right end behavior model for f if and only if lim x f (x) =1 g(x)

(b) a left end behavior model for f if and only if f (x) = 1. x g(x) lim Denition. If g(x) = mx + b where m = 0 is an end behavior model for f , then f is said to have an oblique (or slant) asymptote of y = mx + b. Example. Page 122 number 38.
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