Preparatory Quantitative Methods

Limits & Continuity

Tushar Tanwar
Objectives
 Existence of limits of functions.
 Computation of the limits of functions
 Continuity of functions.
 Link between limits and continuity of functions
Quiz
 Write
  4x in the form e rx and Find the value of log2 ( √ 2).
 If x and y are positive numbers and ln(xy2 ) = 2 and ln(x/y) = 0,
find x and y.
 Give the domain and range of the functions f(x) = 2 − √ (x + 3),
g(x) = 2 + [1/( x + 1)]
 Find inverse of f(x)=1+x2 .
 Find inverse of f(x)=1+x2 . (where x
 Give the domain of the function sec(x).
 Find the inverse of f(x) = (x + 1)/(x − 2). Give domain and range.
 For g(x) = x2 and f(x) = , find g ◦ f and f ◦ g
 Are f(x) = (x 2 − 4 )/(x − 2) and g(x) = x + 2 equal?
Limits
  
 Limit intuitively means, as x approaches a, f(x) approaches L.
 Limit tell us that looking at the values of f(x) around a (but not
at a), it looks like f(x) is going to take value L at a.
 0 < |x - a| < δ => |f(x) - L| = < ε
 Examples:
 Let f(x) = x. Then, show that f(x) = c
 Show
Finding limits
x<2 f(x) x>2 f(x)
 Example:-
  1   3  
1.5   2.5  
1.9   2.1  
1.99   2.01  

1.999   2.001  
 Online Graph plotter : http://www.wolframalpha.com/examples
/PlottingAndGraphics.html
Examples
 where
 
 where
 (Function need not be defined at that point.)

x<2 f(x) x>2 f(x)

1   3  
1.5   2.5  
1.9   2.1  

 3 x if x  2 1.99   2.01  
 lim f ( x) where
(Function )  point is irrelevant) 1.999
value fat( xthe   2.001  
x 2
1 if x  2
One Sided limits
 Numbers
  x near point a fall into two natural categories:
 those that lie to the left of a and those that lie to the right of a
 Left hand limit Right hand limit

 iff ==L
Examples
   x<2
1
f(x)
 
x>2
3
f(x)
 
 Find =? 1.5   2.5  
1.9   2.1  
1.99   2.01  
1.999   2.001  

x>0 f(x) x<0 f(x)

0.1   -0.1  
 For , 0.01   -0.01  
0.001   -0.001  
 Find =?, =?
More Examples
 Use
  the graph to find
 , ,,

 Graph f(x)=. Find ,

 For
 Find =?, =?
Example
 Consider
  r(x) = (x 2−x−6) /x−3
 Find the limit as x approaches 1
 for x r(x) = x + 2
 So as x approaches 1, this function simply goes to 3
 Consider r( x) = (x 2−x−6) /x−3
 Find the limit as x approaches 3
 Though r(x) is not defined at x = 3, arbitrarily “close” to 3, r(x)
=x+2
 So as x approaches 3, this function goes to 5
 Its limit exists though the function is not defined at x = 3
Examples
  (For any polynomial p(x) and any real number a,
 Indeterminate forms occur when substitution in the limit results
in 0/0. In such cases either factor or rationalize the expressions.
More Examples
  
Examples
  

 For , Find =?, =?

 Let the sales S (in '000s) of a product as a function of

advertising
expenditure x is given by S = 4000 + 8000(1 − e − x)
Sketch the function
Find the and interpret the result
Find the level of advertising expenditure that yields S =10,000
Algebra of limits
 c
 D
 D
 D

 D

 l
 D

 D

 h
Use the results
  
Infinite Limits & limits at Infinity
 Line
  x=a is called the vertical asymptote if or (f is defined
on both sides of a, except possibly at a)
• Example:
• Vertical asymptote at x=0

 Evaluate :
 Find (x 2−x−2) /x−3
limits at Infinity
 The
  line y = b is called a horizontal asymptote of the curve y
= f (x ) if
either or
• Example:
• Horizontal asymptote at y=0

 Evaluate:
 Find asymptotes of f(x)
•
Continuity
  Continuity at a Point
 Given a function f and a number a, F is continuous at a if = f
(a).
 Requirements:
 f(a) is defined(a is in domain of f)
 exists.
 = f (a).
Types of discontinuities
 (1) f(a) is not defined.
  
 discontinuous at 2.
 (f(2) not defined)

 (2) exists, f(a) is defined but f (a).


 discontinuous at 2 as
 This is called removable discontinuity.
 Else, it is called a nonremovable or an essential discontinuity of f.
 A function has a removable discontinuity at x = a if and only if
exists and is finite.
Types of discontinuities

 (3)
  doesn’t exist
 (x)=
 discontinuous at 0 as doesn’t exist
 discontinuity is called non removable discontinuity

 (4) f(a) is defined but limit doesn’t exist.

 Jump at x=a

 discontinuous at all integers as limit
does not exist at integers.
 This is an example of jump discontinuities.
Examples
 Classify
  the discontinuities
Some Results
 Example
  of Continuous functions
 All polynomials.
 Rational functions
 Trigonometric functions e.g. sinx , cos x
 for all x if n is odd, and x>0 when n is even
 Exponential function, log function.
 Suppose that f and g are continuous at x = a. Then:
(i) ( f ± g) is continuous at x = a,
(ii) ( f · g) is continuous at x = a and
(iii) ( f/g) is continuous at x = a if g(a)0.
 If g is continuous at a and f is continuous at g ( a ) , then
(f o g ) (x ) = f (g (x)) is continuous at a.
Use Results
 Find
  intervals/points where is continuous for :
 =cos(x2-5x+2)

 f(x)=ln(x-3)
 For what value of a is is continuous.
Intermediate Value theorem
 Suppose that f is continuous on the closed interval [a, b] and W is
any number between f(a) and f(b). Then, there is a number c ∈ [a, b]
for which f(c) = W

 Example: If f continuous on [1, 2] with the known values f(1) = 3

and f(2) = 5. Then f(x) must take value 4 in [1 2].
 That is , the graph of a continuous function on a closed interval
can be drawn without lifting your pencil.
 Suppose that f is continuous on [a, b] and f(a) and f(b) have opposite
signs. Then, there is at least one number c ∈ (a, b) for which f(c) = 0.
Example:
 Prove that the cubic polynomial f(x) = x3 + x2 - 4
has a root in the interval (1,2)
• all polynomials are continuous
• Which means, we can apply IVT to f(x)
• Evaluating the polynomial at the endpoints of
the interval (1, 2), we obtain
• f(1) = 1 + 1 - 4 = -2 < 0
• f(2) = 8 + 4 - 4 = 8 > 0
• By IVT, there must be a point c in the interval
such that -2 < 0 = f(c) < 8
• c is the desired root
 Thank you!