Week 2: LIMITS OF FUNCTIONS

D EFINITION OF L IMIT

Let f be a function defined on some open interval that contains the number a, except
possibly at a itself. Then we say that the limit of f pxq as x approaches a is L, and
we write lim f pxq  L if for every number ε ¡ 0 there is a number δ ¡ 0 such that if
Ña
0   |x
a|   δ then |f pxq
L|   ε.
x

lim f pxq  L ô @ε ¡ 0, Dδ ¡ 0, 0   |x
a|   δ ñ |f pxq
L|   ε

x Ña

O NE - SIDE L IMIT

Left-Hand Limit lim f pxq  L ô @ε ¡ 0, Dδ ¡ 0, a
δ   x   a ñ |f pxq
L|   ε

xÑa

Right-Hand Limit lim f pxq  L ô @ε ¡ 0, Dδ ¡ 0, a   x   a δ ñ |f pxq
L|   ε
x Ña

Theorem 1. lim f pxq  L if and only if lim f pxq  L  lim f pxq.

xÑ a xÑa
xÑ a

I NFINITE L IMITS ; V ER TICAL A SYMPTOTES

lim f pxq  8 ô @M
¡ 0, Dδ ¡ 0, 0   |x
a|   δ ñ f pxq ¡ M
x Ña
lim f pxq 
8 ô @N   0, Dδ ¡ 0, 0   |x
a|   δ ñ f pxq   N
xÑ a

Vertical Asymptote
The line x  a is called a vertical asymptote of the curve y  f pxq if at least one of the
following statements is true

lim f pxq  8 lim f pxq  8 lim f pxq  8

x Ña x Ña
x Ña
lim f pxq 
8 lim f pxq 
8 lim f pxq 
8
x Ña xÑa
x Ña

L IMITS AT I NFINITY ; H ORIZONTAL A SYMPTOTES

Let f pxq be a function defined on some interval pa, 8q. Then

lim f pxq  L ô @ε ¡ 0, DN ¡ 0, @x ¡ N ñ |f pxq
L|   ε

x Ñ8
and
lim f pxq  8 ô @M ¡ 0, DN ¡ 0, @x ¡ N ñ f pxq ¡ M
x Ñ8

Horizontal Asymptote
The line y  L is called a horizontal asymptote of the curve y  f pxq if either
lim f pxq  L or lim f pxq  L
xÑ8 xÑ
8

1
T HE L IMIT L AWS

Algebraic Laws
Suppose that C is a constant and the limits lim f pxq and lim g pxq exist. Then
x Ña x Ña
(a) lim rf pxq g pxqs  lim f pxq lim g pxq
x Ña x Ña x Ña
(b) lim rf pxq
g pxqs  lim f pxq
lim g pxq
x Ña x Ña x Ña
(c) lim rCf pxqs  C lim f pxq
x Ña x Ña
(d) lim rf pxqg pxqs  lim f pxq  lim g pxq
x Ña x Ña x Ña
f pxq lim f pxq
Ña
 xlim if lim g pxq  0
xÑa g pxq g p xq
(e) lim
x Ña
xÑa

Theorem 2 (Limit of Composite Functions). Suppose lim f pxq  b and xlim g pxq  L. Then
x Ña Ñb
lim g pf pxqq  L
x Ña
Theorem 3 (Direct Substitution Property). If f is a basic function and a is in the domain of
f , then lim f pxq  f paq
x Ña
Theorem 4 (The Inequality Theorem). If f pxq ¤ g pxq when x is near a and the limits of f and
g both exist as x approaches a, then lim f pxq ¤ lim g pxq
x Ña x Ña
Theorem 5 (The Squeeze Theorem). If f pxq ¤ gpxq ¤ hpxq when x is near a and xlim
Ña f p x q 
lim hpxq  L, then lim g pxq  L
x Ña x Ña
C ONTINUITY

A function f is continuous at a if lim f pxq  f pa q. Otherwise, we say that f is

x Ña
discontinuous at a.

This definition requires three things if f is continuous at a:

(a) f is defined at a

(b) lim f pxq exists

x Ña
(c) lim f pxq  f paq
x Ña
$ x2
4
& if x  2 . Find A such that f is continuous at x  2.
Example 1: Given f pxq 
% A,x
2
,
if x  2
x2
4
We have f is defined at x  2, f p2q  A and lim f pxq  lim  xlim px 2q  4. From the
xÑ 2 xÑ 2 x
2 Ñ2
above definition, f is continuous at x  2 if f p2q  A  4.

We have the following definitions

2
 1. A function f is continuous from the right at a if lim f pxq  f paq
x Ña
2. A function f is continuous from the left at a if lim f pxq  f paq
xÑa

3. A function f is continuous on an interval if it is continuous at every number in the

interval. If f is defined only on one side of an endpoint of the interval, we understand
continuous at the endpoint to mean continuous from the right or continuous from the
left.

Theorem 6. A function f is continuous at a when and only when it is continuous from the
left and from the right at a.

Theorem 7. The addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and composition of continuous

functions are continuous functions.

Theorem 8. The basic functions are continuous on their domains.

Theorem 9 (The Intermediate Value Theorem). Suppose f is continuous on the closed

interval ra, bs and let N be any number between f paq and f pbq, where f paq  f pbq. Then
there exists a number c in pa, bq such that f pcq  N .