Chapter 2

Limits and Continuity

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Outlines:
Limit
Definition Of Limit
Properties Of Limits
Limit Of Infinite Function
Define Limits At Infinity
Continuity
The Continuity Test

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 Limits

The word “limit” is used in everyday conversation to

describe the ultimate behavior of something, as in the
“limit of one’s endurance” or the “limit of one’s
patience.”

In mathematics, the word “limit” has a similar but

more precise meaning.

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Limits
Given a function f(x), if x approaching 3 causes the
function to take values approaching (or equaling) some
particular number, such as 10, then we will call 10 the
limit of the function and write

In practice, the two simplest ways we can approach 3 are

from the left or from the right.

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Limits
For example, the numbers 2.9, 2.99, 2.999, ... approach 3
from the left, which we denote by x→3 –, and the
numbers 3.1, 3.01, 3.001, ... approach 3 from the right,
denoted by x→3 +. Such limits are called one-sided
limits.

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Example 1 – Finding A Limit By Tables
Use tables to find

Solution :
We make two tables, as shown below, one with x approaching 3
from the left, and the other with x approaching 3 from the right.

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 Limits- Definition

A function f(x) is said to approach a constant L as a limit

when x approaches a as below,

lim f ( x)  L
x a
Where f(x) is the function which assumes a corresponding set
of values and x is independent variables.

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Limit- Exist
Thus we have a left-sided limit: lim f ( x)  K
xc

And a right-sided limit: lim


f(
x)L
xc

And in order for a limit to EXIST, the limit

from the left and the limit from the right must
exist and be equal.

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 lim ( x 2  1)
Example 2: Find x0
x approaching 0 from the left x approaching 0 from the right

x -1 -0.5 -0.25 -0.001 0 0.001 0.25 0.5 1

f(x) 2 1.25 1.0625 1.00001 ? 1.00001 1.0625 1.25 2

y  f (x)
The graph of
y  x2 1
y  f ( x)  x 2  1

x0 x0

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Example 2: Find lim ( x 2  1)
x 0

The closer x gets to the values 0, the closer the value

of f(x) comes to 1.
This limit could have been determined by simple
substituting x=0 into f(x).

2 2
lim ( x  1)  lim ( x  1)  1
x 0 x 0

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Example 3 –
Finding Limits By Direct Substitution
As you have just seen the good news is that many
limits can be evaluated by direct substitution.

1. lim x 4 2 Substitute 4 for x.

x4

x2 62 36
2. lim 
x3 63 9
  4 Substitute 6 for x.
x6

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PROPERTIES OF LIMITS
Let a be a real number, and suppose that xlim f ( x)  h and xlim g ( x)  k
a a
then

lim f ( x)  g ( x)  h  k
x a
h  0)

lim  f ( x) g ( x)  hk
x a

f ( x) h
lim  (if k  0)
xa g ( x) k

lim[ f ( x)] n  [ lim f ( x)] n  a n (if n > 0)

xa xa

lim n f ( x)  n lim f ( x)  n h (if n even h  0)

x a x a
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Examples 4: Using Limit properties
1.
x 3
  2
lim x 2  1  lim x  lim1
x 3 x 3

 
2
 lim x  lim1
x 3 x 3

 32  1  10

2x 1 lim  2 x  1 2 lim x  lim1

2. lim  x 1
 x 1 x 1
x 1 3 x  5 lim  3 x  5  3lim x  lim 5
x 1 x 1 x 1

2 1 1
 
35 8

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 lim f ( x) 0
x a
Limit for case : 
lim g ( x) 0
x a

1. Factorization method
When this case happens we can factorize the numerator
and denominator and simplify the fraction.

2. Multiplication of Conjugates method

When this case happens we can find the conjugate of the
function.

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Example 5 : Factorization method

2
x  9 x 3lim x 2  90
lim  
x 3 x  3 lim x  3 0
x 3

lim
x2 9
 lim
 x  3 x  3
x 3 x  3 x 3 x3

lim x  3  6
x 3

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Example 6 : Multiplication of Conjugates method

x 1 lim x  1 0
lim  x1 
x 1 x  1 lim x  1 0
x 1

x 1 x 1
lim 
x 1 x 1 x 1
( x  1)( x  1)
lim
x 1 ( x  1)

lim x  1  1  1  2
x 1

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LIMIT OF INFINITE FUNCTION
lim f ( x)  
x a

lim f ( x)  
x a

 1 
lim  r   
x0  x 
 1    r odd numbers
lim  r   
x0  x    r even numbers

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  1 
Example 7: Find lim 2 
x0 x 

x approaching 0 from the left x approaching 0 from the right

x -1 -0.5 -0.1 -0.001 0 0.001 0.1 0.5 1

f(x) 1 4 100 1000000 ? 1000000 100 4 1

y  f (x)
The graph of
1
y  f ( x) 
x2
We should
conclude that

x  1 
lim 2   
x 0 x 
x0 x0

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Example 8:
Given f ( x) 
1
. Find xlim
1
f ( x) and lim f ( x)
x1
x 1

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DEFINE LIMITS AT INFINITY
Theorem
(a) If lim f ( x)  a and lim f ( x)  b , then a  b .
x  x 
(b) For any positive integer n,
1 
i) lim  n   0
x   x 

1 
ii) lim  n   0
x    x 

(c) If lim f ( x)  
x  g ( x ) 
Divide each term by x to the highest power of the denominator.

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Example 9:
Find the limit of 2x 3  x 2  3
lim
x  x3  x  2

2x 3 x2 3
3
 3

lim x 3 x x3
x  x x 2
3
 3

x x x3
1 3
2  3
x x
lim
x  1 2
1 2  3
x x

2x 3  x 2  3 200
lim  2
x  x3  x  2 1 0  0 21
  4 x  5 x  21 
2  x2  2x  4 
2. lim  3  3. lim  
x  7 x  5 x 2  10 x  1
 
x 
 12 x  31 
 x2 2x 4 
 4 x 2 5 x 21
 3 3
    

x 3
x x
  lim  x x x
 lim  3 2  x 
 12 x  31 
x  7 x 5 x 10 x 1
   x x 
 3  3  3  3 
 x x x x 
 4 5 21   4
 x2 x 

 x x2  3 
 lim  x
  lim 
x  5 10
7  2  3
1
 x  31 
 x x x   12  
0  x 
   2
7 
12
0 
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CONTINUITY
 A function that can be graphed throughout its domain
with one continuous motion of the pen (that is, without
lifting the pen) is an example of a continuous function.

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The Continuity Test:
A function f is continuous at a point x = c if
1. f (c) is defined
2. l
imf
(x)e
xi
st
s

xc

3. l
imf
(x)
f(
c)

x c

THIS IS THE DEFINITION OF

CONTINUITY
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Types of discontinuities:
1. Removable Discontinuity:

It is a type of discontinuity in which at a particular point, left hand side limit

and right hand side limit are equal and finite, but are not equal to limit at that
point. We can write that

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Types of discontinuities:
2. Jump Discontinuity: In this discontinuity, left hand and right hand
limits do exist and are finite, but are not equal. We can write as:

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Types of discontinuities:
3. Infinite Discontinuity: Infinite discontinuity is a discontinuity in
which one of left hand and right hand limits or both do not exist or are
infinite. We can say that:

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Example10:
Discuss the continuity at point x = 0, 2, 3, 3.5, 4

1 2 3 4

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For , x=0
 
is continuous at x =0 because
(a) f(0) exists

lim f ( x)  2 exists
(b) x 0

(c) lim f ( x)  f (0)

x 0

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For , x=2
 
is discontinuous at x =2 because
lim f ( x)  f (2)
x2

The function fails Part 3 of the test. The function also fails to
be continuous from either right or left. The necessary limit
exists but do not equal the function’s value at x=2

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For , x=3
 
is discontinuous at x =3 because
lim f ( x) Does not exists
x3

The function fails Part 2 of the test.

The function is continuous from left at x =3 because
lim f ( x)  f (3)  1
x 3

f ( x)  0 from right at x =3 because

limcontinuous
But the function is not
x 3 

f (3)  1
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While
For , x=3.5
 
is continuous at x =3.5 because
(a) f(3.5) exists

(b)
lim f ( x) exists
x3.5

(c) lim f ( x)  f (3.5)

x 3.5

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For , x=4
 
is continuous at x =4 because
(a) f(4) exists

(b)
lim f ( x) exists
x 4

(c) lim f ( x)  f (4)

x 4

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