More examples on L’Hospital’s Rule

Math 142, Section 01, Spring 2009

This note provides a number of further examples illustrating L’Hospital’s rule. Recall there are two
∞
versions of L’Hospital’s rule, one for 00 and one for ∞ forms.
0
L’Hospital for 0 : If f (x) and g(x) are differentiable near x = a and
lim f (x) = 0 = lim g(x)
x→a x→a
then
f (x) f 0 (x)
lim
= lim 0 .
x→a g(x) x→a g (x)
∞
L’Hospital for ∞ : If f (x) and g(x) are differentiable near x = a and
lim f (x) = ±∞,
x→a

lim g(x) = ±∞
x→a
then
f (x) f 0 (x)
lim = lim 0 .
x→a g(x) x→a g (x)
0 ∞
Now, 0 and ∞ are not the only indeterminate forms. Other common indeterminate forms include
0·∞ ∞ − ∞, 1∞ , 0∞ , ∞0
Indeterminate forms of the types 00 and ∞
∞ can be dealt with directly using L’Hospital’s Rule. With the
other indeterminate forms the strategy is to modify the given form to turn it into either a 00 or ∞
∞ form.
0 ∞
We begin with a couple examples of the 0 and ∞ forms.
Example 1: Find
x − sin x
lim .
x→0 x3
0
Solution: This is a 0 form so L’Hospital’s rule applies. Thus,

x − sin x 1 − cos x
lim = lim .
x3
x→0 x→0 3x2
0
This is again 0 so we apply L’Hospital’s rule again:
x − sin x 1 − cos x sin x
lim 3
= lim 2
= lim .
x→0 x x→0 3x x→0 6x

Once again, this is 00 . Let’s try L’Hospital again:

sin x cos x cos 0 1
lim = lim = = .
x→0 6x x→0 6 6 6
Thus, the limit
x − sin x 1
lim = .
x→0 x3 6
Example 2: Please note that L’Hospital’s Rule has a hypothesis, namely that
lim f (x) = 0 = lim g(x).
x→a x→a
1
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f (x)
If this condition is not satisfied, we cannot use L’Hospital’s Rule to compute the limit of g(x) . For example,
sin x sin 0
lim = = 0.
x→0 1 + 2x 1+2·0
But
(sin x)0 cos x 1
lim 0
= lim = .
x→0 (1 + 2x) x→0 2 2
So in this case
sin x (sin x)0
lim 6= lim .
x→0 1 + 2x x→0 (1 + 2x)0

Example 3: Find
e2x + x2
lim .
x→∞ ex + 4x
∞
Solution: This is an ∞ form so we can apply L’Hospital’s rule.
ex + x2 ex + 2x
lim = lim .
x→∞ ex + 4x x→∞ ex + 4
∞
This is again ∞ so applying L’Hospital’s rule again:
ex + 2x ex + 2
lim = lim .
x→∞ ex + 4 x→∞ ex
Again this is ∞
∞ , so we might try L’Hospital again.
ex + 2 ex
lim = lim .
x→∞ ex x→∞ ex
∞
This is again ∞ but L’Hospital’s Rule won’t help us any more. However, doing some algebra,
ex
lim
= lim 1 = 1.
x→∞ ex x→∞
The last example shows that sometimes it is necessary to use other methods for finding limits in con-
juction with L’Hosptial’s rule.
Try this next example on your own:
Example 4: Find √
9x + 1
lim √ .
x→∞ x+1
The ∞ − ∞ form:
Example 5: Find  
1 1
lim −
x→1+ x − 1 ln x
0 ∞
Solution: This is an ∞ − ∞ form. Combining fractions we may be able to turn this into a 0 or ∞ form,
then apply L’Hospital’s Rule. So,
1 1 ln x − (x − 1) ln x − x + 1
− = = .
x − 1 ln x (x − 1) ln x (x − 1) ln x
As x → 1+ , the numerator and denominator each go to 0. So we may apply L’Hospital’s Rule:
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(ln x − x + 1)0
 
1 1
lim − = lim
x→1+ x − 1 ln x x→1+ ((x − 1) ln x)0
1 1
x− 1) x − 1) 1−x
= lim 1 = lim 1 = lim .
x→1+ ln x + (x − 1) · x
x→1+ ln x + 1 − x
x→1+ x ln x + x − 1
0
We are left with another 0 form, so we do some algebra to simplify before applying L’Hospital’s Rule
again.
1−x −1 −1 −1
lim = lim 1 = = .
x→1+ x ln x + x − 1 x→1+ ln x + x x + 1 ln 1 + 1 + 1 2
So  
1 1 −1
lim − = .
x→1+ x − 1 ln x 2
As these examples show, it is not uncommon to have to apply L’Hospital’s rule a couple of times in a
row. However, example 4 suggests that we shouldn’t just keep applying L’Hospital’s Rule again and again
and hope that something good comes out of it.
The remaining indeterminate forms, 1∞ , 00 , ∞0 forms are all handled in a similar way.
Example 5: Find
1 n
) .
lim (1 +
n→∞ n
Solution: As n → ∞, the base tends towards 1. It’s tempting to guess that the limit should be 1 since
the base tends towards 1, and so we get 1n , but 1n = 1 for every n, and so limn→∞ 1n = 1. The problem
is that we aren’t taking 1 to larger and large powers, we are taking bases that are just slightly larger than
1 to higher and higher powers.
These power forms involve a trick. Namely, we’re going to use logarithms to turn the powers into
products. Let y = limn→∞ (1 + n1 )n . Now,
1 n
ln y = ln ( lim (1 + ) )
n→∞ n
1 n 1
= lim ln ((1 + ) ) = lim n ln (1 + ).
n→∞ n n→∞ n
Now, y gave rise to a 1∞ form, but ln y gives rise to an ∞ · 0 form. Furthermore, we can turn this into
0
a form by rewriting as
0
1 ln (1 + n1 )
n ln (1 + )= 1 .
n n
∞
(You could just as easily have turned it into ∞ by writing
1 n
n ln (1 + )= 1 .
n 1
ln (1+ n )
0
There is nothing wrong with this, but here the 0 form while be a bit easier to handle.)
Now, we want
ln (1 + n1 )
lim 1 .
n→∞
n
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We could apply L’Hospital’s rule at this point. However, we can simplify the upcoming derivative calcula-
tions if we make a judiciuous change of variables. We let x = n1 . Now letting n → ∞ is the same as letting
x → 0+ . So
ln (1 + n1 ) ln (1 + x)
lim 1 = lim .
n→∞
n
x→0+ x
Using L’Hospital’s Rule,
1
ln (1 + x) (1+x) 1 1
lim = lim lim = = 1.
x→0 + x x→0+ 1 x→0+ (1 + x) 1+0
Okay, done now, right? Not exactly. What we have just shown is
1
lim ln (1 + )n = 1,
n→∞ n
but we want the limit without the natural logarithm on it. But
1 1
1 = lim ln (1 + )n = ln ( lim (1 + )n ).
n→∞ n n→∞ n
(We can interchange limits and natural logarithms because the natural logarithm is a continuous function.)
To get rid of the natural logarithm, exponentiate.
1 n 1
e1 = eln (limn→∞ (1+ n ) ) = lim (1 + )n
n→∞ n
Thus, we see
1
lim (1 + )n = e.
n→∞ n
Try this next one on your own. A full solution appears at the end of these notes, but try doing it by
following some of the steps from the previous example.
Example 6: Find
lim xx .
x→0+

Example 4 Solution We have to be clever or else we get stuck in a loop. If we apply L’Hospital’s rule
without being clever, we get
√
9x + 1 1
(9x + 1)−1/2 · 9
lim √ = lim 2 1 −1/2
.
x→∞ x+1 x→∞
2 (x + 1)
Simplifying, we get
9(x + 1)1/2
= lim ,
x→∞ (9x + 1)1/2
∞
another ∞ form. Apply L’Hospital’s rule again,
9(x + 1)1/2 9 12 (x + 1)−1/2
lim = lim .
x→∞ (9x + 1)1/2 x→∞ 1 (9x + 1)−1/2 · 9
2
Simplifying, this becomes
(9x + 1)1/2
= lim ,
x→∞ (x + 1)1/2
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∞
another ∞ . It’s not such a great idea to keep applying L’Hospital’s rule over and over again, because this
last limit got us back to where we started.
A better way to proceed here is to interchange the entire square root and the limit, which we can do
since the square root function is continuous. So
√ r
9x + 1 9x + 1
lim √ = lim .
x→∞ x+1 x→∞ x + 1

Now,
9x + 1
lim = 9,
x→∞ x + 1
which can be seen either using L’Hospital’s Rule or other methods for computing limits. So
√
9x + 1 √
lim √ = 9 = 3.
x→∞ x+1
Example 6 Solution Interchanging the limit and the logarithm,
ln ( lim xx ) = lim ln xx = lim x ln x.
x→0+ x→0+ x→0+
∞
This is a 0 · ∞ form, so we rewrite it to get an ∞ form:
ln x
x ln x = 1 .
x
Using L’Hospital’s Rule we get
1
ln x x
lim x ln x = lim 1 lim −1 .
x→0+ x→0+ x→0+
x x2
Doing some algebra, this last limit rearranges to
−x2
lim = lim −x = 0.
x→0+ x x→0
Recall that this is the natural logarithm of the limit we are interested in:
ln ( lim xx ) = 0
x→0+
so
lim xx = e0 = 1.
x→0+