Tutorial 1: Limit & Continuity

Topic 1.1 : Limit of A Function

1. For each of the following, state the value or values of k for which the limit does not exist.

5x  1 2
(a) lim (b) lim
x k x4 x k
x2  4
(a) 4 (b) 2,  2 
2. Given that lim f ( x)  P, lim g( x)  Q, and lim h( x)  R. Determine the following
x c x c x c
limits, in term of P, Q and/or R.

  f ( x) h( x)
(a) lim  f ( x)  3g ( x) (b) lim 
g ( x) (c) lim
x c h ( x )  2 f ( x )  g( x)
2
x c
 
x c
 f ( x)

 Q PR 
(a) P  3Q (b) R+2P (c) Q2  P 
 

3. If lim f ( x)  2, and lim g ( x)  10, evaluate

x a x a

  f ( x) 
 2
f ( x) 
 f ( x) 
2
a) lim
xa g ( x)
b) lim 
xa
 c) lim  g ( x)
g ( x)  x a

 

 
 
1
2 4
(a)  (c) 4  10 
2
(b)
 10 10 

Topic 1.2 : Finding Limit using Numerical Method

4. Complete the table and use the result to estimate the limit numerically.

a) lim 2 x 2  x  4
x 1

x 0.9 0.99 0.999 1 1.001 1.01 1.1
f ( x)

 1 
 x 1
b) lim
x 1 x  x  2
2

x -1.1 -1.01 -1.001 -1 -0.999 -0.99 -0.9

f ( x)

 1 
  3 
sin 2 x
c) lim
x 0 x

x -0.1 -0.01 -0.001 0 0.001 0.01 0.1

f ( x)

2 
tan x
d) lim
x 0 2 x

x -0.1 -0.01 -0.001 0 0.001 0.01 0.1

f ( x)

1 
 2 
ln x
e) lim
x 1 x 1

x 0.9 0.99 0.999 1 1.001 1.01 1.1

f ( x)

1 
5. Evaluate each of the following limits numerically

x2  1 4  x2
a) lim b) lim
x 1 x  1 x 2 x  1

x 1 x2
c) lim 2 d) lim 2
x 1 x  2 x  3 x 2 x  5 x  6

x5  5 1 x  2
e) lim f) lim
x 0 x x 3 x3
x 1 1
2 
g) lim x  2 h) lim x  2 4
x 4 x4 x2 x2
sin 2 x 2x
i) lim j) lim
x 0 x x 0 tan 4 x
 e2 x  1 1  e4 x
k) lim l) lim
x 0 2x x 0 x
ln(2 x  3) ln( x 2 )
m) lim n) lim
x 2 x2 x 1 x  1

 1 1 
(a) -2 (b) 0 (c)
4
(d) 1 (e)
10
5
 
(f)  1 (g)
1
(h) 
1
(i) 0 (j)
1 
 4 2 16 2 
 
(k) 1 (l) 4 (m) 2 (n) 2 
 

6. Evaluate each of the following limits

x2 1
a) lim x  16
x  4
2
x 2

b) lim x  4 x2
 c) lim
x 1 x
d) lim 5  x
x 5

(a) 0 (b) 12 (c) 0 (d) does not exist 

7. Evaluate each of the following limits

3 1 x 3
(a) lim (b) lim  (c) lim
 x  3
2
x 4 x  4 x 0.5 2 x  1 x 3

x2  x  1 3x x2  1
(d) lim (e) lim (f) lim
x 2 x2 x 1
1  x2 x  4 x 2

(a)  (b)   (c)   (d)  (e)  (f) 

Topic 1.3 : Finding Limit using Graphical Method

8. Estimated the limit graphically. [Hint:Use long division]

x3  x 2  x  1
lim
x 1 x 1
[2]
9. Use the graph of f ( x) below to find the following limit.

(a) lim f ( x) (b) lim f ( x) (c) lim f ( x) (d) lim f ( x) (e) lim f ( x)
x 3 x 0 x 2 x 1 x 1

(a) 3 (b) 3 (c)1 (d) 2 (e) does not exist 

10. By using graph, find the limit (if it exists) as x approaches 2.

3, x  2
a) f ( x)  
1, x  2

2 x  1, x  2
b) f ( x)  
 x  3, x  2

2 x, x2
c) f ( x)   2
 x  4 x  1, x2

 x, x2
d) f ( x)  
4, x2

(a) 1 (b) 5 (c) does not exist (d) 2 

11. Use the graph to find the limit (if it exists). If the limit does not exist, explain why.

a) b)

c) d)

e) f)

g) h)
 (a) 2 (b)  4 (c) does not exist (d) -1 (e) does not exist 
(f) does not exist (g)  2 2(oscillate) -does not exist 
 (h) does not exist 

Topic 1.4 : Finding Limit using Analytical Method

12. Using the analytical method, evaluate the following limits

(b) lim  5 x  2 
x 3
(b) lim 2  7 x 2
x 4

(c) lim  1
x 1 x  1
(d) lim
x 0
3
x2

(a) 13 (b) -110 (c) 0.5 (d) -1.5

13. Using the rules of limits, evaluate the following limits.


a) lim x 2  5
x 1
 b) lim  2 x  7 
1
x
2

x 2

c) lim x  8x  4 x  10
3 2
 d) lim 5 x 2 ( x  4) 
x 2

2 x2  1 x2  4
e) lim f) lim
x 1 x  3 x  x2

 1 
 (a)  4 (b) 8 (c)  58 (d)  40 (e)  (f)   2
4 

14. Evaluate the limit by direct substitution


a) lim 10  x 2
x 5
 
b) lim 0.5 x3  5 x
x 2

c) lim  2 x  4 x  12
d) lim  x 3
 6 x  5
x 3 x 2

3x x 1
e) lim f) lim
x 3 x  1 2 x 4 x  2 x  3
2

5x  3 x2  1
g) lim h) lim
x 2 2 x  9 x 3 x
 i) lim x  2 j) lim 3 x 2  1
x 1 x 3
x
k) lim e l) lim ln x
x 3 x e

m) lim  sin 2 x  n) lim  tan x 

x  x 

(a) -15 (b) 6 (c) 7 (d) 9 

 
(e) - 9 (f)
1
(g)
7
(h)
10 
 10 9 13 3 
(i) 1 ( j) 2 (k) 20.09 (l) 1 
 
 (m) 0 (n) 0 

15. Evaluate the following limits using the factorisation or conjugate multiplication method

x 2  36 x 2  49 2 x2  5x
(a) lim (b) lim (c) lim
x 6 x  6 x 7 x  7 x 0 x
3x 2  12 x2  x x4
(d) lim 2 (e) lim 2 (f) lim
x 2 5 x  10 x x 1 x  1 x 4 x 2
 x 1 x2  x  6 3 x
(g) lim (h) lim 2 (i) lim
x 1 x 1 x 3 x 9 x 9 x  9

x 7 3 x 1
(j) lim (k) lim
x 1 3  x  2
x 2 x2

 6 1 1 5 1 1 
(a) 12 (b)  14 (c) 5 (d) 5 (e) 2 (f) 4 (g)  2 (h) 6 (i)  6 (j) 6 (k)  4

Topic 1.5 : Limit at Infinity

16. Evaluate the following limits at infinity.

2x 1 4x x2 1
(a) lim (b) lim (c) lim
x  5 x  6 x  x 2  1 x  x  2

 2 1 7x  2x 2x  3
(d) lim    (e) lim (f) lim
x  x  1 3x  4 
 x 
x2  1 x 
9 x 2  3x  2
 x2  9 
(g) lim
x 
 x 2  3x  x  (h) lim  3 
x 


x  3 

Hint : g) & h)- using numerical method

 2 7 2 3 
(a) 5 (b) 0 (c)  (d)  3 (e) 2 (f) 3 (g) 2 (h)  2
Topic 1.6 : Continuity

17. Determine the contuinity of f ( x) at x  a for each of the following.

2 x 1
(a) f ( x)  2 x2 (b) f ( x)  e x 2 x  0 (c) f ( x)  x4
x 1 x4
x2  6 x  7 2x  3 3
(d) f ( x)  , x  7 (e) f ( x)  3  x x  3 (f) f ( x)  x
x7 2x  3 2

(a) continuous (b) continous (c) discontinuous 

 (d) discontinous (e) discontinuous (f) discontinous 
 

18. For each of the following piecewise functions, determine whether f ( x) is continous at
x  2.
 x 2  1, x  2 ln( x  1), 1  x  2
(a) f ( x)   (b) f ( x)   2
3  x, x  2  x  4 x  4, x  2
(a) discontinuous (b) continous

19. Let f ( x) be defined as

 1
x2, x  2

f ( x)  k , x2
 x 1
 , x2
 4
Determine k so that f is continous at x  2

 1
 k  4 