Calculus

Limit & Continuity

By

Norhafizah Md Sarif & Ezrinda Mohd Zaihidee

Faculty of Industrial Science & Technology
[email protected], [email protected]

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 Description
Aims
This chapter is aimed to :
1. introduce the concept of limit
2. explain the definition of one sided and two sided limit
3. evaluate limit using three different approaches.

Expected Outcomes
1. Students should be able to describe the concept of limits
2. Students should be able explain one sided limit and two sided limit
3. Students should be able to find limit numerically, analytically and graphically

References
1. Abdul Wahid Md Raji, Hamisan Rahmat, Ismail Kamis, Mohd Nor Mohamad,
Ong Chee Tiong. The First Course of Calculus for Science & Engineering
Students, Second Edition.

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 Content

1
Limit of a Function
2 Evaluate Limit : Numerical Method
3 Evaluate Limit : Graphical Method

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 1.1 Limit of a Function

 Limit is the most important concept of all calculus.

 The main ideas of calculus, the derivative and the integral,

are defined using limits.

 All you need is to develop an intuitive understanding, and you

will see how simple these concepts are.

 The concept of limit study what will happen to a function when

variable x approaches a certain value.

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 Consider an example which will help you to understand the concept of
limit. Suppose there is a huge forest blaze with a raging fire. Imagine that
you are moving closer to the forest, the distance x between you and forest
is decreases. As you keep on moving, you start feel heat all over your
body. Let the temperature on the surface of your body measured as f ( x) .

 Now as you getting closer to the fire, increased heat are felt on your body.
The closer you get, the greater the sense of heat. Now you would not want
to actually put yourself in the fire i.e. x  0 , but yet as you get close and
close to the fire you have sense that temperature on the surface of your
body will increasing until it reaches the temperature of fire.

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 In limit, we are not interested in the value of f ( x) when x  0

 We are more interested in the behaviour of f ( x) as x comes closer

and closer to a value of c .

 The notation of one sided limit is given as follow

lim f  x   lim f  x   L
x c x c

Left Side Limit Right Side Limit

x approaches c from left. x approaches c from right.

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 1.1 Limit of a Function

When does a limit EXIST? A limit exists if and only if both corresponding
one sided limits exist and are equal.

Definition – Limit: If the limit from the left and right sides
have the same value,
lim f ( x)  lim f ( x)  L
x c  x c

Then, lim f ( x) exist and it is written as

x c

lim f ( x)  L
x c

and we read as “the limit f  x  as x approaches c is L ”

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 x approaches c from
right

Limit exist
because one sided limit
x approaches c from exist and the value are
left
equal.

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 Limit

Limit can be evaluated using three methods.

1 Numerical
Evaluating
Limit

3 2
Analytical Graphical

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 Numerical Method

In this method, limit is solved by

 inserting an appropriate value of x from left (left side limit) and

right (right side limit) and calculate the corresponding f ( x) .

 By doing so, we are expecting to reach a certain value 

LIMIT

 Aim: to be able to interpret limit behavior based on looking at a

table of values

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 Example

Evaluate lim 2 x by using table.

x 1

Compute limit from both sides as follow

x approaching 1 from left x approaching 1 from right

x 0.9 0.99 0.999 0.9999 1 1.0001 1.001 1.01 1.1

f(x) 1.8 1.98 1.998 1.9998 ? 2.0002 2.002 2.062 2.1

lim 2 x  2 lim 2 x  2
x 1 x 1

Since limit from left and right (one sided limit) exist and equal, two side limit
exist and written as

 lim 2 x  2
x 1 Calculus by Norhafizah Md Sarif
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 Example

sin x
Evaluate lim
x 0
numerically where x is in radian.
x

x approaching 0 from left x approaching 0 from right

x -0.1 -0.01 -0.01 -0.0001 0 0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1

f(x) 0.99833 0.99998 0.99999 0.99999 ? 0.99999 0.99999 0.99998 0.99833

sin x sin x
lim 1 lim 1
x 0 x 0 x
x

sin x
In this example, we shall summarize result as  lim 1
x 0 x

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 Example

3x 2  2 x  8
Evaluate lim using numerical method.
x 2 x2

x approaching 2 from left x approaching 2 from right

x 1.9 1.99 1.999 2 2.001 2.01 2.1

f(x) 9.7 9.97 9.997 ? 10.003 10.03 10.3

lim f ( x)  10 lim f ( x)  10
x 2 x 2

Since the limits from left and right have the same values, then

3x 2  2 x  8
lim  10
x 2 x2 Calculus by Norhafizah Md Sarif
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 Example

1
Evaluate lim
x 0
numerically.
x

x approaching 0 from left x approaching 0 from right

x -0.1 -0.01 -0.01 -0.0001 0 0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1

f(x) -10 -100 -1000 -10000 ? 10000 1000 100 10

1 1
lim   lim  
x 0 x x 0 x

Both sides have different value, we can concluded that

1
 lim does not exist
x 0 x
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 Example

 x 2  1, x  0
Evaluate lim f ( x) numerically where f ( x)   2 .
x 0
 x  1, x  0

x approaching 0 from left x approaching 0 from right

x -0.1 -0.01 -0.01 0 0.001 0.01 0.1

f(x) 1.01 1.0001 1.000001 -0.999999 -0.999 -0.99

lim  x 2  1  1 lim  x 2  1  1
x 0 x 0

Limit from left and right have different values, then

 lim f ( x) does not exist
x 0

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 Graphical Method

In this method, limit is solved through a graph.

From the graph, we can determine the limit exist or not

when does a limit exist?

lim f  x   lim f  x   L
x c x c

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 Example

Evaluate lim 2 x by graphical method.

x 1

Plot graph of y  2 x . From the f(x)4

graph plotting in Figure 1, as x 3
approached 1 from left, the
2
function f(x) goes to 2. The lim 2 x
x 1
same thing occur as x 1

approached 1 from right

0 x
lim 2 x  lim 2 x  2 -1 0 1 2 3 4
x 1 x 1
-1
Hence
-2
 lim 2 x  2 Figure 1
x 1 Calculus by Norhafizah Md Sarif
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 Example

Evaluate lim  x  2 
2
graphically.
x 1

f(x)
This function is a quadratic
function where y   x  2  . As
2

we can see in the Figure 2,

f(x) approached 9 when x 9

comes closer to 1 from both

sides.

lim(

x  2) 2
 lim(

x  2) 2
9
x 1 x 1
-8 -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 x
1

 lim  x  2   9
2
Figure 2
x 1
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 Example

 x  1, x  1
 3
Given f ( x)   , x  1 . Find lim
x 1
f ( x) graphically.
2
2  x, x  1

We choose y  x  1 for the left hand f(x)

3

side function, meanwhile right hand

2
side function is y  2  x.The movement
of the graph tells us that 1

lim f ( x)  2 lim f ( x)  1
x 1 x 1 0
-4 -2 0 2 4
x
Since the value of one sided limit is
-1
different
Figure 3
 lim f ( x) does not exist -2
x 1 Calculus by Norhafizah Md Sarif
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 Example

The diagram below shows the graph of the function, f. Find

(a) xlim
2
f ( x)
 (b) xlim
2
f ( x)
 (c) lim
x 2
f.( x)

(d) lim f ( x) (e) lim f ( x) (f) lim

x 4
f ( x)
x  4 x  4
(a) lim f ( x)  4
x  2
f(x)
(b) xlim f ( x)  2

2

4
(c) lim f ( x) does not exist
x 2
3
(d) xlim f ( x)  1

4

2
(e) xlim
4
f ( x) does not exist


1
(f) lim f ( x) does not exist
x 4

x
- 0 1 2 3 4 5
1 Calculus by Norhafizah Md Sarif
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 Analytical Method

Limits law will be used extensively in solving limit problem. If the limit cannot be
evaluated by limit laws (1), then the algebraic technique (2) will be used

1) Limits Law Technique

• Substitutions

2) Algebraic Technique

indeterminate
• Factorization
form
• Multiplication of conjugate

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 Constant Rule lim k  k
x c

Identity Rule lim x  c

x c

Sum and
lim( f ( x)  g ( x))  lim f ( x)  lim g ( x)
Limits Law
Difference Rule x c x c x c

Product Rule lim( f ( x).g ( x))  lim f ( x).lim g ( x)

x c x c x c

Constant Multiple
Rule lim(k. f ( x))  k.lim f ( x)
x c x c

f ( x) lim f ( x)
Quotient Rule lim  x c
x c g ( x ) lim g ( x)
x c lim g ( x)  0
x c

 
n
Power Rule lim( f ( x))  lim f ( x)
n
x c x c

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1. Constant Rule lim 6  6
x 2
• The limit of a constant is the
constant itself lim 11  11
x3

2. Identity Rule
• The limit of function f(x), where lim x  2
x 2
f(x)=x, is c since x approaches
c. lim x  7
x 7

3. Sum and Difference Rule

• The limit of the sum of two lim( x  4)  2  4  6
x 2
functions is the sum of their
limits lim( x  4)  3  4  1
x 3

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4. Product Rule
lim( x  1)( x  2)
• The limit of a product of two functions x 2

is the product of their limits.  lim( x  1)  lim( x  2)

x 2 x 2

 3  4  12

5. Constant Multiple Rule

lim 2(4 x  1)
• The limit of a constant, multiply by a x 2

function is the constant multiply by  2 lim(4 x  1)

x 2
the limits of the function
 2(7)  14

6. Quotient Rule  x  1  lim( x  1)


x 3
lim 
• The limit of quotient of two functions x 3
 x  3  lim( x  3)
x 3
is the quotient of their limits, provided
the limit of the denominator is not 3 1 1
 
zero 3 3 3

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7. Power Rule
• The limit of the nth power is the nth power of
the limit where n is a positive integer and
f (c )  0

 
n
lim( f ( x))  lim f ( x)
n
lim n f ( x)  n lim f ( x)
x c x c x c x c

 
2
lim(3x)  lim(3x)
2
 (3)2  9
x 1 x 1

lim 5x  4  lim(5x  4)  20  4  4
2 2
x 2 x 2

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 Example

Evaluate the following limit analytically.

(a) lim( x  5) (b) lim (3 x  5) (c) lim 2 x( x  4)
x 1 x 2 x 1

 3x  4 
  x2  x  6
1/ 3
(d) lim   (e) lim x  11
2
(f) lim
x2
 x3  x4 x2 x2

 3 x  4  3(2)  4 10
(a) lim( x  5)  1  5  6 (d) lim    2
x 1 x2
 x3  23 5

   
1/ 3 1/ 3

(b) xlim (3 x  5)  3(2)  5  1 (e) lim x  11

2
(4)  11
2
 3
2 x4

x2  x  6 0
2 x( x  4)  2(1  4)  10 lim 
(c) lim
x 1 (f) x2 x2 0
indeterminate form
For case (f), direct substitution doesn’t always work!
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 There are cases that we cannot solve using the limit laws
technique.
 x2  x  6  0
e.g. lim   
x 2
 x2  0
0
 If lim
x c
f ( x)  , it cannot be evaluated by direct substitution.
0
 Use Algebraic technique instead such as ;

Factoring

Multiplying
conjugate

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 Example

Evaluate the following limit analytically.

x2  x  6 t 2 1 x 2
(a) lim (b) lim (c) lim
x2 x2 t 1 t  1 x4 x4
3t  3 3x 2  1 1
(d) lim (e) lim (f) lim
x 1 x  2
t 0 t p 2
4 p2  7

(a) lim x  x  6  lim  x  3 ( x  2)  5 3t  3

2
(d) 1
lim 
x2 x2 x2 x2 x 0 t 2 3

(b) lim  1  lim  t  1 (t  1)  2 3x 2  1 2

2
t (e) lim 
t 1 t  1 t 1 t 1 x 1 x  2 3

x 2 x 2 x 2 1 1

1
(c) lim  lim   (f) lim
x4 x4 x4 x  4 x 2 4
p 2
4 p2  7 3

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 Conclusions #1

 The notation lim f  x   L is read “ the limit f  x  as x approaches c is L”

x c
and means that the functional values f  x  can be made arbitrarily, close to

L by choosing x sufficiently close to c ( but not equal to c ).

 L is a finite real number. If L can be found, then the limit of exists. If L

cannot be found or infinite, then the limit of f  x  does not exist.

 Numerical method: use table to calculate the limit (i.e. consider limit from
both sides)

 Graphical method : use graph to determine the limit (i.e. consider limit from
both sides)

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 Conclusions #2

 Analytical method: use properties to determine the limit

0 
 lim f ( x)  lim
or xc f ( x )  cannot be evaluated by direct substitution or
x c 0 
using properties of limit . This kind of form must be solve using either of the
following method. Factorisation, multiplying of conjugate or fraction
reduction.

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 Authors Information

Norhafizah Binti Md Sarif Ezrinda Binti Mohd Zaihidee

Email: Email:
[email protected] [email protected]
Google Scholar: Google Scholar:
Norhafizah Md Sarif Ezrinda Mohd Zaihidee
Scopus ID : Scopus ID :
57190252369 42061495500
UmpIR ID:
3479

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