1.

2
An Introduction
to Limits
 x3  1 ( x  1)( x 2  x  1)
f ( x)  , x 1 
x 1 x 1

We have a point discontinuity at x = 1.

What happens as x  1
from the left and from the right?
as x approaches 1
x .75 .9 .99 .999 1 1.001 1.01 1.1
f(x) 2.31 2.71 2.97 2.99 ? 3.003 3.03 3.3
f(x)
aproaches 3
 x 1
3
 lim 3
x 1 x  1

Sometimes we can find a limit by just plugging

in the number we are approaching.

lim f (c)  L
x c

Ex. Find the limit.

lim ( x  3)  7
2
x 2
 x
Ex. Evaluate the function f (x) 
at several points near x  1 1
x = 0 and use the results
to find the limit.

lim f
x
(x) 
x 0 x  1 1

x -.01 -.001 -.0001 0 .0001 .001 .01

 1.9995 1.99995
f(x) 1.9949 ? 2.00005 2.00050 2.0049

f(x) approached 2 f(x) approached 2

 1, x  2
Ex. Find the limit as x 2 where f(x) =
0, x  2

What is the y-value as x approaches 2 from the

left and from the right?
The limit is 1 since f(x) = 1 from the left and from
the right as x approaches 2.
The value of f(2) is immaterial!!!
 3 types of limits that fail to exist.
1. Behavior that differs from the left and from
the right.
x
Ex. lim
x 0 x
x
lim  -1
x 0 x
x
lim  1
x 0 x
 the limit D.N.E. , since the limit from the left does
not = the limit from the right.
2. Unbounded behavior

1
Ex. lim 2
x 0 x

Since f(x)
  as x  0
the limit D.N.E.
 3. Oscillating behavior (use calculator)

1
lim sin  
x 0
 x
As x 0, f(x) oscillates between –1 and 1, therefore
the limit D.N.E.
Limits D.N.E. when:
1. f(x) approaches a different number from the
right side of c than it approaches from the left side.
2. f(x) increases or decreases without bound as x
approaches c.
3. f(x) oscillates between two fixed values as x
approaches c.
 A Formal Definition of a Limit

If f(x) becomes arbitrarily close to a single number

L as x approaches c from either side, then we say
that the limit of f(x), as x approaches c, is L.
In the figure to the left,
 let  represent a small
positive number. Then
(c,L) the phrase “f(x) becomes
arbitrarily close to L”
 means that f(x) lies in the
interval (L -  , L +  )

 
    Pr oofs
Def. of a Limit

Let f be a function defined on an open interval

containing c and let L be a real number. The
statement
lim f ( x)  L
x c

means that for each   0,  a  0 

f ( x)  L   whenever 0  x  c  
 Finding a  for a given  .
Given the limit: Let   .01
lim 2 x  5  1 find   2 x  5  1  .01
x 3

To find delta, we establish a connection between

(2x  5) 1 and x  3
2x  5 1  .01
2 x  3  .01 Thus, we choose

.01   .005
x 3   .005
2
Finding a  for a given  .

lim 3x  2  4
x 2

3x  2  4  
3x  6  
3x2 

x2 
3

 choose  
3
Finding a  for a given  .

lim x  4
2
x 2

x 4 
2

x2 x2 
 For all x in the interval
x2 
x2 (1,3)


,  
5