1

Computing more limits

1. Determine the following limits or state that they do not exist.
1


12
(a) lim
x2 x 2
Combining the fractions in the numerator and cancelling, we find that
1 1

1
1
lim x 2 = lim
= .
x2 x 2
x2
2x
4
x


(x 1)(x 2)
(b) lim
x1
(x 1)3
Even after cancelling (x 1) from the numerator with one factor of the denominator, this limit does not converge to a finite value. The limit from the left and
the right both tend to negative infinity, since the numerator will be negative and
the denominator positive for values arbitrarily close to one.
 3

x 5x2 + 6x
(c) lim
x2
x3 4x
Factoring both the numerator and the denominator and cancelling leaves us with



1
x3
lim
= .
x2 x + 2
4



x1
(d) lim
x1
x1
We can factor the numerator using fractional powers:

x 1 = ( x 1)( x + 1),
a trick which would normally make things more complicated, but which
is useful

for these types of problems; a key indication being the factor of x 1 in the
denominator. Doing so affords us the right to cancel, and we arrive at




( x 1)( x + 1)
x1

= lim
= lim x + 1 = 2.
lim
x1
x1
x1
x1
x1


2. What happens to the denominators in the limit problems above, when evaluated at
their limit? Why is this not a problem?
The denominators tend to zero. Normally this would cause the entire fraction to tend
to positive or negative infinity, however, in the cases above which have finite limits,
the numerator contains factors which tend to zero at the same rate and they cancel.

3. Suppose that
g(x) = f (1 x) ,

lim f (x) = 3 ,

x1+

lim f (x) = 7.

x1

Compute lim+ g(x) and lim g(x).

x0

x0

This is cute. As x tends to zero from the right, as in the case of the first limit were asked
to consider, the values will all be positive, so that the values 1 x will be approaching
1 from below.
Take a moment to convince yourself of this.
Assigning y to be the function 1 x, we get
lim g(x) = lim+ f (1 x) = lim f (y) = 7.

x0+

x0

y1

A similar analysis and substitution reveals

lim g(x) = lim+ f (y) = 3.

x0

y1

4. Use the squeeze theorem to evaluate lim x cos

x0

1
x4


.

Its often convenient to remember that the functions cos(x) and sin(x) are bounded
above by one and below by negative one; more explicitly, we can write
 
1
1
1 cos
x4
for all nonzero values of x.
After multiplying by x4 which for all values of x is positive, and therefore does not
alter the direction of the inequalities we arrive at the rather useful set of inequalities
 
1
4
4
x4 .
x x cos
x4
Taking the limits of x4 and x4 , and finding them both to be zero, we can apply the
squeeze theorem to conclude that


lim x cos

x0

1
x4


= 0.

5. Determine the following limits or state that they do not exist.


4
x2
(a) lim
x16 x 16
We can use the fractional powers factoring trick that we did above to factor the
denominator. Doing so twice allows us to conclude that

4
x2
1
1

lim
= lim
= .
x16 ( 4 x 2)( 4 x + 2)( x + 4)
x16 ( 4 x + 2)( x + 4)
32
(b) lim+ 3 csc()
0

Rewriting csc(), we get

lim+

3
= +.
sin()

x2 + 3
x1 x + 4
2x+7

(c) lim

Following the sagely advice of a 1990s GladeTM commercial jingle, we get

x2 + 3
36
= .
4
x1 x +
13
2x+7
lim

x4 6x3 + 11x2 6x
x3
x2 6x + 9
The numerator factors as x(x 1)(x 2)(x 3), while the denominator factors as
(x 3)2 . From the right, the values are all negative, and from the left the values
are all positive, so the right and left limits are and +, respectively.

(d) lim