ARELLANO UNIVERSITY

Jose Rizal High School

Gov. Pascual Ave. Malabon City
Tel/Fax #921-27-44
2 SEMESTER S.Y. 2022-2023
ND

CONCEPT NOTE #1

Topic 1.1: The Limit of a Function

INTRODUCTION:
Limits are the backbone of calculus, and calculus is called the Mathematics of Change. The study of
limits is necessary in studying change in great detail. The evaluation of a particular limit is what underlies the
formulation of the derivative and the integral of a function.

This is how it is with limits of functions. We will consider functions of a single variable and study the
behavior of the function as its variable approaches a particular value (a constant). The variable can only take
values very, very close to the constant, but it cannot equal the constant itself. However, the limit will be able to
describe clearly what is happening to the function near that constant.

LESSON DISCUSSION:
Consider a function f of a single variable x . Consider a constant c which the variable x will approach (c
may or may not be in the domain of f ). The limit, to be denoted by L, is the unique real value that f (x) will
approach as x approaches c . In symbols, we write this process as:

lim f ( x )=L
x →c

This is read, ‘‘The limit of f (x) as x approaches c is L.”

LOOKING AT A TABLE OF VALUES

To illustrate, let us consider

lim (1+3 x)
x →2

Here, f ( x )=1+3 x and the constant c , which x will approach, is 2. To evaluate the given limit, we will
make use of a table to help us keep track of the effect that the approach of x toward 2 will have on f (x) . Of
course, on the number line, x may approach 2 in two ways: through values on its left and through values on its
right. We first consider approaching 2 from its left or through values less than 2. Remember that the values to
be chosen should be close to 2.
Now we consider approaching 2 from its right or through values greater than but close to 2.

Observe that as the values of x get closer and closer to 2, the values of f (x) get closer and closer to 7. This
behavior can be shown no matter what set of values, or what direction, is taken in approaching 2. In symbols,
lim (1+3 x)=7
x →2

lim (x 2 +1)
EXAMPLE 1: Investigate x→−1

by constructing tables of values. Here, and f ( x )=x 2 +1. We start again by approaching -1 from the left.

Now approach -1 from the right.

The tables show that as x approaches -1, f ( x) approaches 2. In symbols,
2
lim ( x +1)=2
x→−1

EXAMPLE 2: Investigate lim |x| through a table of values.

x →0
Approaching 0 from the left and from the right, we get the following tables:

Hence,
lim |x|=0
x →0