MATH 101 - Formal Limits: S Sial

Outline The game of limits Formal definition of limits of functions Examples Formal definition of one-sided limits
MATH 101 - Formal limits
S Sial
Dept of Mathematics
LUMS
June 2019
Outline
The game of limits
Formal definition of limits of functions
Examples
Formal definition of one-sided limits

Game of limits
Game of limits
Game of limits
You:
lim 2x = 2
x→1
Me: I don’t believe you.

Show me an interval containing 1, in which the difference between
the function value and 2 is less than a tolerance of my choice, 0.1,
say.
contd
You:
|2x − 2| < 0.1 ⇐⇒

|2||x − 1| < 0.1 ⇐⇒
|x − 1| < 0.05 ⇐⇒
So,
|x − 1| < δ = 0.05 =⇒ |2x − 2| < 0.1

contd
Me: Still don’t believe you.

Let’s make 0.01 the tolerance.
You:
|2x − 2| < 0.01 ⇐⇒

|2||x − 1| < 0.01 ⇐⇒
|x − 1| < 0.005 ⇐⇒
So,
|x − 1| < δ = 0.005 =⇒ |2x − 2| < 0.01

contd
Me: STILL don’t believe you.

Tolerance is now any > 0, that I can make as small as I like.
You:
|2x − 2| < ⇐⇒
|2||x − 1| < ⇐⇒
|x − 1| < /2 ⇐⇒
So,
|x − 1| < δ = /2 =⇒ |2x − 2| <

Formal definition of limit
x within δ of x0
is equivalent to
|x − x0 | < δ
We also don’t want x = x0
0 < |x − x0 | < δ
f (x) within of L
|f (x) − L| <
We say
lim f (x) = L
x→x0
if for every > 0 there exists some δ() > 0 so that
0 < |x − x0 | < δ ⇒ |f (x) − L| <

Think of it as a game
Your opponent picks
You pick a δ
so that x within δ of x0 ( but not equal to x0 ) implies that f (x) is
within of L
Examples of formal proofs
Examples of formal proofs

Example
Prove
x −1
lim = 1
x→1 x − 1
Example contd
We need to show that

for every > 0 there is some δ() such that 0 < |x − 1| < δ implies
|(x − 1)/(x − 1) − 1| < .
Example contd
Turns out any positive works.

For any > 0, take δ = 3.
Then

x − 1
0 < |x − 1| < δ ⇒
x − 1 − 1 = |1 − 1| = 0 <

Example
Give a formal − δ proof that
lim x = x0
x→x0
Example contd

for every > 0 there exists a δ() such that
0 < |x − x0 | < δ ⇒ |x − x0 | <

Example contd
Proof
Let δ = . Then
0 < |x − x0 | < δ ⇒ |x − x0 | <

Example
Prove that
lim ax + b = ax0 + b
x→x0
Example contd

for every > 0 there is some δ() > 0 such that
0 < |x − x0 | < δ ⇒ |(ax + b) − (ax0 + b)| <

Example contd
We can try working backwards
|(ax + b) − (ax0 + b)| < ⇔

|ax − ax0 | < ⇔
|a||x − x0 | < ⇔
|x − x0 | < /|a| ⇔

Example contd
Finally
Let δ = /|a|. Then
0 < |x − x0 | < δ = /|a| ⇒
|(ax + b) − (ax0 + b)| <

Example
Prove that
lim x sin(x) = 0
x→0
Example contd
We have to show that

0 < |x − 0| < δ
implies
|x sin(x) − 0| <
Example contd
We have to show that

0 < |x| < δ

implies
|x sin(x)| <
Example contd
Note
| sin(x)| ≤ 1
|x|| sin(x)| ≤ |x| · 1
|x sin(x)| ≤ |x|
Example contd
So
|x| < ⇒
|x sin(x)| ≤ |x| <
Example contd
Then
let δ = .
|x| < δ = ⇒
|x sin(x)| ≤ |x| <
Formal definition of right-handed limit
Right-handed limit
lim f (x) = L
x→x0+
if for every > 0 there exists a δ() > 0 so that
0 < x − x0 < δ ⇒ |f (x) − L| <

Formal defn of left-handed limit
Left-handed limit
lim f (x) = L
x→x0−
if for every > 0 there exists a δ() > 0 so that
0 < x0 − x < δ ⇒ |f (x) − L| <

Example
Consider f : R → R defined by
(
1 ,x > 0
f (x) =
−1 ,x ≤ 0
Example contd
Limit from the left at zero
lim f (x) = lim −1 = − 1

x→0− x→0−
Example contd
Formal proof of the result

For any > 0, let δ = 10. Then 0 < 0 − x < δ = 10 implies
|f (x) − (−1)| = |(−1) − (−1)| = 0 <

MATH 101 - Formal Limits: S Sial

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Outline The game of limits Formal definition of limits of functions Examples Formal definition of one-sided limits

MATH 101 - Formal limits

The game of limits

Formal definition of limits of functions

Formal definition of one-sided limits

Me: I don’t believe you.

|2x − 2| < 0.1 ⇐⇒

|x − 1| < δ = 0.05 =⇒ |2x − 2| < 0.1

Me: Still don’t believe you.

|2x − 2| < 0.01 ⇐⇒

|x − 1| < δ = 0.005 =⇒ |2x − 2| < 0.01

Me: STILL don’t believe you.

|x − 1| < δ = /2 =⇒ |2x − 2| < 

Formal definition of limit

Formal definition of limit

We also don’t want x = x0

Formal definition of limit

Formal definition of limit

if for every  > 0 there exists some δ() > 0 so that

0 < |x − x0 | < δ ⇒ |f (x) − L| < 

Your opponent picks 

Examples of formal proofs

Examples of formal proofs

We need to show that

Turns out any positive  works.

Give a formal  − δ proof that

We need to show that

0 < |x − x0 | < δ ⇒ |x − x0 | < 

0 < |x − x0 | < δ ⇒ |x − x0 | < 

We need to show that

0 < |x − x0 | < δ ⇒ |(ax + b) − (ax0 + b)| < 

We can try working backwards

|(ax + b) − (ax0 + b)| <  ⇔

0 < |x − x0 | < δ = /|a| ⇒

|(ax + b) − (ax0 + b)| < 

We have to show that

We have to show that

0 < |x| < δ

Formal definition of right-handed limit

if for every  > 0 there exists a δ() > 0 so that

0 < x − x0 < δ ⇒ |f (x) − L| < 

Formal defn of left-handed limit

if for every  > 0 there exists a δ() > 0 so that

0 < x0 − x < δ ⇒ |f (x) − L| < 

Limit from the left at zero

lim f (x) = lim −1 = − 1

Formal proof of the result

|f (x) − (−1)| = |(−1) − (−1)| = 0 < 

You might also like

|x − 1| < δ = /2 =⇒ |2x − 2| <

if for every > 0 there exists some δ() > 0 so that

0 < |x − x0 | < δ ⇒ |f (x) − L| <

Your opponent picks

Turns out any positive works.

Give a formal − δ proof that

0 < |x − x0 | < δ ⇒ |x − x0 | <

0 < |x − x0 | < δ ⇒ |x − x0 | <

0 < |x − x0 | < δ ⇒ |(ax + b) − (ax0 + b)| <

|(ax + b) − (ax0 + b)| < ⇔

0 < |x − x0 | < δ = /|a| ⇒

|(ax + b) − (ax0 + b)| <

if for every > 0 there exists a δ() > 0 so that

0 < x − x0 < δ ⇒ |f (x) − L| <

if for every > 0 there exists a δ() > 0 so that

0 < x0 − x < δ ⇒ |f (x) − L| <

|f (x) − (−1)| = |(−1) − (−1)| = 0 <