Useful Limits

1. lim xn = 0 for all constant |x| < 1 2. lim x1/n = 1 for all constant x>0
n→∞ n→∞

( )
xn x n
3. lim =0 for all constant x 4. lim 1 + = ex for all constant x
n→∞ n! n→∞ n

(ln n)a
5. lim =0 for all constants a and b > 0 6. lim n1/n = 1
n→∞ nb n→∞

√
n
n! 1
7. lim =
n→∞ n e

How do we know these?

1. {|x|n }∞
n=1 is decreasing as |x| < 1, and bounded below by 0. Therefore it converges by the

Monotonic Sequence Theorem. Since |x|n+1 = |x|n · |x|, its limit L must satisfy L = L · |x|,
and hence L = 0. The result for {xn }∞
n=1 follows.

2. Limits commute with continuous functions and the exponential function with base x is

continuous.

3. {|x|n /n!}∞
n=1 is decreasing for n > |x| and bounded below by 0. Hence it converges by the
Monotonic Sequence Theorem. Since |x|n+1 /(n + 1)! = |x|n /n! · |x|/(n + 1), its limit L must
satisfy L = L · 0 = 0. The
n ∞
result for {x /n!}n=1 follows.

4. Apply L'Hôpital's Rule to the limit limt→∞ ln(1 + x/t)/(1/t), then exponentiate.

5. Applying L'Hôpital's Rule ⌈a⌉ times gives the result.

6. Applying the natural exponential function to the case a = 1, b = 1 of (5) gives the result.

7. Compare the sum of the areas of the rectangles of height ln k , (2 ≤ k ≤ n), erected on the
intervals [1, 2], [2, 3], . . . , [n − 1, n] [2, 3], [3, 4], . . . , [n, n + 1]
in one case, and on the intervals

in the other, with the areas under the graph of y = ln x on the intervals [1, n] and [2, n + 1],

respectively; exponentiate, take the nth root, divide by n, and then apply the Squeeze Theorem

as n → ∞.

Last revision: January 26, 2021