8.

3 Relative Rates of Growth

Greg Kelly, Hanford High School, Richland, Washington
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
20 40 60 80
The function grows very fast.
x
y e =
We could graph it on the chalkboard:
If x is 3 inches, y is about 20 inches:
( )
3, 20
At 10 inches,
1
mile
3
x
y
=
=
At 44 inches,
2 million light-years
x
y
=
=
We have gone less than
half-way across the board
horizontally, and already the
y-value would reach the
Andromeda Galaxy!
At 64 inches, the y-value
would be at the edge of the
known universe!
(13 billion light-years)

0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
20 40 60 80
The function grows very slowly. ln y x =
If we graph it on the chalkboard it
looks like this:
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
20 40 60 80
We would have to
move 2.6 miles to
the right before the
line moves a foot
above the x-axis!
64 inches
By the time we reach the
edge of the universe again
(13 billion light-years) the
chalk line will only have
reached 64 inches!
The function increases everywhere, even though it
increases extremely slowly.
ln y x =

Definitions: Faster, Slower, Same-rate Growth as

x
Let f (x) and g(x) be positive for x sufficiently large.
1. f grows faster than g (and g grows slower than f )
as if x
( )
( )
lim
x
f x
g x

=
or
( )
( )
lim 0
x
g x
f x

=
2. f and g grow at the same rate as if x
( )
( )
lim 0
x
f x
L
g x

= =

WARNING WARNING WARNING

Please temporarily suspend your common sense.

According to this definition, does not grow faster

than .
2 y x =
y x =
2 y x =
y x =
-6
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
-6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 1 2 3 4 5 6
2
lim lim2 2
x x
x
x

= =
Since this is a finite non-zero
limit, the functions grow at
the same rate!
The book says that f grows
faster than g means that for
large x values, g is negligible
compared to f.
Grows faster is not the same as has a steeper slope!

Which grows faster, or ?

x
e
2
x
2
lim
x
x
e
x

This is indeterminate, so
we apply LHpitals rule.
lim
2
x
x
e
x

still

| |
|

\ .
lim
2
x
x
e

=
Still indeterminate.
grows faster than .
x
e
2
x
approaches

| |
|

\ .
We can confirm this graphically:
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
2
x
e
y
x
=

Growing at the same rate is transitive.

In other words, if two functions grow at the same rate
as a third function, then the first two functions grow at
the same rate.

Example 4:
Show that and grow at
the same rate as .
( )
2
5 f x x = +
( )
( )
2
2 1 g x x =
x
( )
Let h x x =
2
5
lim
x
x
x

+
2
2
5
lim
x
x
x

+
=
2
2 2
5
lim
x
x
x x

= +
2
5
lim 1
x
x

= +
1 =
0
( )
2
2 1
lim
x
x
x

( )
( )
2
2
2 1
lim
x
x
x

=
2
2 1
lim
x
x
x x

| |
=
|
|
\ .
lim
x
f
g

4 =
0
lim
x
f h
h g

| |
=
|
\ .
1
1
4
=
1
4
=
f and g grow at
the same rate.

Order and Oh-Notation

Definition f of Smaller Order than g
Let f and g be positive for x sufficiently large. Then f
is of smaller order than g as if x
( )
( )
lim 0
x
f x
g x

=
We write and say f is little-oh of g.
( )
o f g =
Saying is another way to say that f grows
slower than g.
( )
o f g =

Order and Oh-Notation

Saying is another way to say that f grows
no faster than g.
( )
O f g =
Definition f of at Most the Order of g
Let f and g be positive for x sufficiently large. Then f
is of at most the order of g as if there is a
positive integer M for which
x
( )
( )
f x
M
g x
s
We write and say f is big-oh of g.
( )
O f g =
for x sufficiently large
t