Calculus 1, Fall 2023

Karen Keryan
AUA

September 27, 2023

K. Keryan Calc 1
One-sided Limits
Let f : (x0 , x0 + δ0 ) → R for some δ0 .

K. Keryan Calc 1
One-sided Limits
Let f : (x0 , x0 + δ0 ) → R for some δ0 .
Definition
It is said that f approaches ` ∈ R, as x tends to x0 from the
right-hand side, if

∀ε > 0 ∃δ > 0 s.t. 0 < x − x0 < δ ⇒ |f (x) − `| < ε,

and we will write

lim f (x) = `, or f (x) → `, as x → x0 +, or f (x0 +) = `.
x→x0 +

K. Keryan Calc 1
Let f : (x0 − δ0 , x0 ) → R for some δ0 .

K. Keryan Calc 1
Let f : (x0 − δ0 , x0 ) → R for some δ0 .
Definition
It is said that f approaches ` ∈ R, as x tends to x0 from the
left-hand side, if

∀ε > 0 ∃δ > 0 s.t. − δ < x − x0 < 0 ⇒ |f (x) − `| < ε,

and we will write

lim f (x) = `, or f (x) → `, as x → x0 −, or f (x0 −) = `.
x→x0 −

K. Keryan Calc 1
Example
1
Find one-sided limits of f (x) = sin x
at x0 = 0.

K. Keryan Calc 1
Example
Find one-sided limits of f (x) = 21/x at x0 = 0.

K. Keryan Calc 1
Proposition
If the limit
lim f (x)
x→x0

exists, then

lim f (x) = lim f (x) = lim f (x).

x→x0 + x→x0 − x→x0

K. Keryan Calc 1
Proposition
If the limit
lim f (x)
x→x0

exists, then

lim f (x) = lim f (x) = lim f (x).

x→x0 + x→x0 − x→x0

Example
x+2
Prove that one-sided limits of the function f (x) = x+1
at
x0 = 1 are equal.

K. Keryan Calc 1
Corollary
If the limits

lim f (x) = `1 and lim f (x) = `2

x→x0 + x→x0 −

exist and `1 6= `2 , then the limit

lim f (x)
x→x0

does not exist.

K. Keryan Calc 1
Example
Prove that the limit of the function f (x) = sgn(x) at 0 does
not exist, where 
 1, x>0
sgn(x) = 0, x=0
 −1, x < 0.
.

K. Keryan Calc 1
Example
Do the limits lim f (x) and lim f (x) exist, where
x→−1 x→2


 x + 5, x ∈ (−∞, −1) ∪ (−1, 2)
3, x = −1

f (x) =

 1, x = 2,
 4 − x, x > 2.
.

K. Keryan Calc 1
K. Keryan Calc 1
Limit laws

Let f and g be defined in some deleted neighbourhood of x0 .

Theorem
If the limits
lim f (x), lim g(x)
x→x0 x→x0

exist, then
1) lim (f (x) ± g(x)) = lim f (x) ± lim g(x)
x→x0 x→x0 x→x0
2) lim (f (x) · g(x)) = lim f (x) · lim g(x)
x→x0 x→x0 x→x0
3) If lim g(x) 6= 0 and g(x) 6= 0, then
x→x0
lim f (x)
f (x) x→x0
lim = .
x→x0 g(x) lim g(x)
x→x0

K. Keryan Calc 1
Example
Find the following limits:
x+1
a) lim ,
x→1 2x + 1
x2 + 5x − 10
b) lim ,
x→∞ 2x2 + 3x + 1
x2 − 2x + 1
c) lim 2 .
x→1 x − 4x + 3

K. Keryan Calc 1
The limit of a function by sequences

Theorem
If
lim f (x) = `,
x→x0

then for any xn → x0 and xn 6= x0

lim f (xn ) = `.
n→∞

K. Keryan Calc 1
Corollary
If there exist two sequences xn → x0 and yn → x0 such that
xn 6= x0 and yn 6= x0 , and

f (xn ) → `1 , f (yn ) → `2 , and `1 6= `2 ,

then the limit

lim f (x)
x→x0

does not exist.

K. Keryan Calc 1
Example
Show that the limit of the function f (x) = sgnx does not exist
at 0.

K. Keryan Calc 1
Example
1
Show that the limit of the function f (x) = sin does not
x
exist at 0.

K. Keryan Calc 1