Limits of Functions

Limits – refer to the height that a function intends to reach.

Def.
If the value of the function f(x) approaches L as x is taken sufficiently close to c but not equal to c,
then L is called the limit of f(x) as x approaches c.
In symbol, we write:
lim f ( x)  L
x c
which is read as “the limit of f(x) as x approaches c is L”, or “as x approaches c, f(x) approaches L”.

ex. Given: y  f ( x )  x 2
lim f ( x)  lim x 2  4
x2 x2

x 1.9 1.91 1.92 1.93 1.94 1.95 `1.99 2

f(x) 3.61 3.65 3.69 3.72 3.76 3.80 3.96 4

x 2.1 2.09 2.08 2.07 2.06 2.05 2.01 2

f(x) 4.41 4.36 4.32 4.28 4.24 4.20 4.04 4

Theorems on Limits/ Limit Laws

Given : lim f ( x )  L , lim g ( x )  M , lim c  c , where k is constant

x a xa xa

1. lim [ f ( x)  g ( x)]  lim f ( x)  lim g ( x)  L  M

x a xa x a

ex. lim ( x 2  3x  5)  lim x 2  lim 3x  lim 5  16  3(4)  5  23

x 4 x 4 x 4 x4

2. lim [ f ( x)  g ( x)]  lim f ( x)  lim g ( x)  LM

x a xa xa

ex. lim ( x  5)( x  2)  lim( x  5)  lim( x  2)  6  3  18

x 1 x 1 x 1

f ( x) lim f ( x) L
3. lim  xa
 , g ( x)  0 , M  0
x a g ( x) lim g ( x) M
xa

( x  5) lim ( x  5) 6
ex. a) lim  x 1
 2
x 1 x  2 lim( x  2) 3
x 1

x 1
2
b) lim
x  2 x  3 x  4
2

1
 s3 1
c) lim
s 1 s 1

1 1 t
d) lim
t 0 t

4. lim
x a

x a

[ f ( x)]n  lim f ( x)  Ln
n
, where n is a positive int eger
(2 x  1) 3   4  1  27
3
ex. lim
x2

n f ( x )  n lim f ( x )  L1 / n
5. lim
x a x a
, where n is a positive int eger
1/ 2
2x 2  1  9  3
ex. lim   
x2 3x  2  4  2

8t 3  27
lim3
t 2 4t 2  9

sin  1  cos 
6. If  is measured in radians, a. lim 1 b. lim 0
0  0 
ex.

sin kx 2x 2  x sin ax 1  cos 3 x

1. lim 3. lim 5. lim , a, b  0 7. lim
x 0 x x 0 sin x x 0 tan bx x 0 sin 3 x

sin( x   4)
4. lim
2 x2
2. lim 6. lim
  0 sin 
x  4 ( x   ) 2 x  0 1  cos x
4

2
Limit of Composite Function

If f and g are functions such that lim g ( x )  L and lim f ( x)  f ( L) , then

 
x c xL

lim f ( g ( x))  f lim g ( x)  f ( L)

x c x c

ex. g ( x)  x  7 , f ( x)  x 2 , find: a) xlim

 3
g ( x) b) lim f ( x) c) lim f ( g ( x ))
x 4 x  3

a) xlim g ( x)  4 b) lim f ( x)  16 c) xlim f ( g ( x ))  16

 3 x4  3

Operations on Limits

1. Given : lim f ( x)  2 , lim g ( x)  1 , lim h( x )  0 , evaluate each of the following limits:

x c x c xc
h( x )
a. lim [ f ( x )  g ( x )] d. lim
x c x c f ( x)
f ( x)
b. lim [ f ( x)] 2 e. lim
xc x c h ( x )

f ( x) 1
c. lim f. lim
x c f ( x )  g ( x )
x c g ( x)

 1 1  1 
2. lim    
x 4
 x 4  x  4 

3. Given : f ( x)  x 2  4 x , evaluate the limit of each of the following:

f ( x)  f (4) f ( x )  f ( 2)
a. lim b. lim
x4 x4 x 3 x3

Given the graph of f, answer the following:

1. 2.

3
 a) Define f(x) piecewise. a) Define f(x) piecewise.
b) What are f(-3), f(0), f(3) b) What are f(-2), f(0), f(2)
c) What are lim f ( x) , lim f ( x ) , lim f ( x)
x  3 x 0 x 3
c) What are lim f ( x ) , lim f ( x) , lim f ( x )
x  2 x 0 x2

3.

a) Define f(x) piecewise.

b) What are f(-4), f(-3), f(3), f(4)
c) What are xlim
4
f ( x) , lim f ( x) , lim f ( x) , lim f ( x)
x  3 x 3 x 4

One-Sided Limits ( Left-Hand/Right-Hand Limit)

Right-Hand Limit
Consider f ( x)  x4 , does lim
x 4
f ( x) exist? Ans.: d.n.e. because undefined for x  4 & we cannot find
an open interval containing 4 & not containing x  4 .

lim f ( x)  0  RHL
x4

Def.
Let f be a function defined at every number in some open interval (c,a), then the limit of f(x) as x
approaches c from the right is L, written as:

4
 lim f ( x)  L ,   0,   0 , such that if 0  x  c   , then f ( x )  L 
x c 

Left-Hand Limit
Consider f ( x)  4 x , does lim
x 4
f ( x) exist? Ans.: d.n.e. because undefined for x  4 & we cannot find
an open interval containing 4 & not containing x  4 .

lim f ( x )  0  LHL
x 4

Def.
Let f be a function defined at every number in some open interval (d,c), then the limit of f(x) as x
approaches c from the left is L, written as:

lim f ( x)  L ,   0,   0 , such that if 0  c  x   , then f ( x )  L 

x c 

Theorem: The lim f ( x) exists & is equal to L iff: lim f ( x)  lim f ( x)  L

xc x c x c

Examples: Evaluate each of the following:

1. 
lim 4 16  x 2  x  1
x4

x2
2. lim
x2
x2  4

1  x3
3. xlim 
1
1 x2

x 2 , x  2
4. f ( x)  
8  2 x , x  2

2 r  3 , r  1

5. g (r ) 

2

7  2 r
, r
, r
 1
 1

6. If F ( x)  2 x  3  4 lim3 F ( x) exist?
, does x
2

x
7. If f ( x)  , does lim
x0
f ( x) exist?
x

8. lim
x 0
  x  5  2 x 

5
 x  5 , x  3

9. Given: , a) sketch the graph b)



f ( x)   9  x 2
, 3  x  3
3  x , x  3



lim f ( x) c) lim f ( x)
x  3 x3

10. Given:
2 x  a , x  3

f ( x)   ax  2b , 3  x  3
b  5 x , x  3


, find the values of a & b such that

lim f ( x)  lim f ( x ) both exist.
x  3 x 3

EXERCISES ON LIMITS:

A. Evaluate each of the following limits:

lim y 3  2 y 2  3 y  4 x3 1 sin 5 x
1. y 1
6. lim 11. lim
x 1 x  1 x 0 sin 2 x
3x  4 y2  9 4x
2. lim 7. lim 12. lim
x 2 8x  1 y  3 2y2  7y  3 x 0 tan x
x 2  25 x5 2 1  cos 4 x
3. lim 8. lim 13. lim
x 5 x5 x 1 x 1 x 0 1  cos 2 x

4x  92
x 1  cos 2 x
4. lim3 9. lim 14. lim
x 2 2 x  3 x 0 sin 3 x x 0 x
3s 2  8s  16
5. lim 15.
s 4 2 s 2  9 s  4

B. Sketch the graph and find the limit of each of the following functions:
2 , x  1

1. f ( x) 

 1
 3

,
,
x
x
 1
 1
2.
x 2  4 , x  2

f ( x)  4 , x  2
4  x 2 , x  1

x  4 , x  4
3. f ( x)  
4  x , x  4 4. F ( x)  x  5  3

Find a and b such that xlim f ( x) and lim f ( x)

x 2 , x  2

5. g ( x) 

 ax  b
2 x  6

,
,
 2  x
x  2
 2

 2 x 2
both exist.

C. Given the graph of f, evaluate the following:

lim f ( x)  f (1) 
x 0 

lim f ( x)  lim f ( x)  lim f ( x) 

x 1 x 1 x 1

lim f ( x)  lim f ( x)  lim f ( x) 

x 2 x 2  x 2

lim f ( x)  lim f ( x )  lim f ( x) 

x4 x4 x 4

6
 lim f ( x) 
x 5

D. Given 2 functions f & g that both d.n.e, i.e.

x  3 2
, x 1 x 2
, x 1
f ( x)  
x 1 , x 1 & f ( x)  2 , x 1

f ( x)
a) Does lim f ( x)  g ( x ) exists? b) Does lim exists?
x 1 x1 g ( x)

Infinite Limits

4
Consider f ( x)  Problem: xlim f ( x) and lim f ( x)
 x  3 2 3  x 3 

x 2.9 2.99 2.9999

f(x) 400 40000 4x10 8

x 3.1 3.009 3.00001

f(x) 400 49383 4x10 10

As x  3  , f (x) increases without bound infinitely  xlim f ( x)  

3 

As x  3  , f (x ) increases without bound infinitely  xlim f ( x)  

3

x =3

Definition:

Let f be a function defined at every number in some open interval I, containing a, except possibly at
x  a then lim f ( x )   , if N  0,    0 such that if 0  x  a   , then f ( x)  N
xa

lim f ( x)   , if N  0,    0 such that if 0 xa  , then f ( x)  N

x a

Limit Theorem 11:

1 1    , if r is odd
1) lim   2) xlim 
  , if r is even
r
xr x

x 0 0

Limit Theorem 12: Let a  R . If lim f ( x)  0 and lim g ( x)  c , c  0 , then

x a xa

g ( x)
i) If c  0 , and f (x)  0  , then lim  
xa f ( x)
7
 g ( x)
ii) If c  0 , and f (x)  0  , then lim  
xa f ( x)
g ( x)
iii) If c  0 , and f (x)  0  , then lim  
xa f ( x)

g ( x)
iv) If c  0 , and f (x)  0  , then lim  
x  a f ( x)

Examples: Evaluate the limit of each of the following:

2x  1
g ( x)  2 x  1 , f ( x )  x  4 , lim g ( x )  7 , lim f ( x)  0 

1) lim  
x4 x  4 x  4 x4

2x  1
lim  
x4 x  4

6x 2  x  2
2) lim 2   g ( x)  6 x 2  x  2 , f ( x )   2 x  1 x  2  ,
x  2 2 x  3 x  2

lim g ( x)  20 , lim f ( x)  0   lim 6 x  x  2  

2

x  2 x  2 x  2  2 x 2  3 x  2

Exercises: Evaluate the limit of each of the following:

t2
1) lim 2
t 2 t  4

t2
2) lim 2
t 2 t  4

3  x2
3) lim
x 0 x
x 9
2
4) lim
x 3 x3
1 1 
5) lim   2 
x 0  x x 
2  4x3
6) lim 2
x 0 5 x  3 x 3

 2 3 
7) lim  2  
t  4  t  3t  4 t 4

Functions with Arguments Involving Infinity

Examples: Evaluate the limit of each of the following:

5 x 2  3x  1 5
1) lim =
x  4x  5
2 4
g ( x)  4 x 2  5 , f ( x )  5 x 2  3 x  1 , lim g ( x)   , lim f ( x)  
x x 

8
 5 x  3x  1
2
5 x2
x2
 3x x2  x12 5  3x  x12 5  3  12 5
lim = lim = lim = =
x  4x 2  5 x 4 x2
 x52 x  4  x52 4  52 4
x2
x2
2) lim =  = d.n.e.
x 
x2 1
g ( x)  x 2  1 , f ( x)  x ,
2 lim g ( x)   , lim f ( x)  
x  x 

1
x2 x2 x2 x2

1
x  

x
lim = lim = lim = lim =  
x 
x 1
2 x 
x 1
2 1 x 
1 1 1 1 1
x 
x2 1 1
x2
x2 x2
2

Vertical Asymptote

Definition:

The line x  a is said to be a vertical asymptote of the graph of the function f if at least one of the
following is true:

i) lim f ( x)   or   ii) xlim f ( x)   or  

xa  a 

Example: Given:

2
1) f ( x) 
x4

Claim: Vertical Asymptote (V.A) : x  4 , Test: xlim f ( x)   , therefore f (x) has a V.A. at x  4 .
4

y x=4

2
2) f ( x) 
x3

Claim: (V.A) : x  3 , Test: xlim f ( x)   , therefore f (x) has a V.A. at x  3 .

 3
y

9
 x=
-3

2
3) f ( x) 
 x  3 2

Claim: (V.A) : x  3 , Test: xlim f ( x)   , lim f ( x)   therefore f (x) has a V.A. at

 3  x  3
y
x  3 .

Exercises: Evaluate the limit of each of the following:

x 1
x= x 2  4x  7
1) lim -3
x 1 x  1 7) lim
x  x6

2) lim 1  x   1
3
x6
8) lim
x  x  4 x  7
2
x 0 x
3 x
3) lim 9) lim
x 1  x  3 3 x 
x 1
2

4 1
4) lim 10) lim 2 x
x2  x  2 2 x  
x 1
5) lim
x4 x  4
11) lim 2 x

x 0
x4 1
6) lim 12) lim
x 2  4x
1
x4 x 0 1 2 x

The Squeeze Theorem

Suppose that the functions f, g, and h are defined on some open interval I containing c except possibly at c
itself, and that f ( x)  g ( x)  h( x)  x I for which x  c . Also suppose that
lim f ( x)  lim h( x)  L  IR , then lim g ( x)  L .
x c x c x c

10
Ex.: Evaluate the given limit.

2  cos x 5 x 2  sin(3 x)
1. lim 2. lim
x  x3 x  x 2  10

g ( x )  4  2 3  x  , x , find lim g ( x)
4
3. If x3

Exercises: Evaluate each of the following using Squeeze Theorem

1
1. If g ( x)  x cos , x  0 , find lim g ( x) x 0
3. If f ( x)  x2  4 , x , find lim
x0
f ( x)
x
1 1
2. xlim x 2 sin 3 4. xlim x sin
 0
x  0 x

11