Lecture 19Section 10.

5 Indeterminate Form (0/0) Section

10.6 Other Indeterminate Forms (/), (0 ),

Jiwen He

1 Indeterminate Forms
1.1 Indeterminate Form (0/0)
Exampleis 1.
What the Indeterminate Form (0/0)?
x2 x2 1 1 1
lim 2
= lim = lim = =
x2 x 4 x2 (x 2)(x + 2) x2 x+2 2+2 4
f 0 (x) 1 1 1
(LHopitals Rule) = lim 0 = lim = = (Amazing!!)
x2 g (x) x2 2x 22 4

As x 2, f (x) = x 2 0 and g(x) = x2 4 0, but the quotient

f (x) x2 0
= 2 .
g(x) x 4 0
We can not determine a value for 00 without some extra work!
f (x)
If lim f (x) = lim g(x) = 0, then lim might equal any number or even fail
xa xa g(x)
xa
to exist! [1ex] Condensed: The form 00 is indeterminate.

1.2 Other Indeterminate Forms

Indeterminate Forms
Indeterminate Forms

The most basic indeterminate form is 00 .

f (x)
It is indeterminate because, if lim f (x) = lim g(x) = 0, then lim
xa xa xa g(x)
might equal any number or even fail to exist!
sin x ex
Specific cases: lim , lim , .
x0 x x sin(1/x)

The forms and 0 are also indeterminate.

1
 They are actually equivalent to 00 , since any specific case of one can be
recast as a specific case of another.

For example,
ln x x
lim x ln x = lim = lim
x0+ x0+1/x x0+ 1/ ln x
0
0
0

Quiz
Quiz
 
n
1. Give the limit for 1
n+2 n=1
(a) 0, (b) 1, (c) 2.
 
n
2. Give the limit for 1+
n+2 n=1
(a) 0, (b) 1, (c) 2.

2 LHopitals Rule
2.1 LHopitals Rule
LHopitals Rule
LHopitals Rule
f (x) 0 f (x) f 0 (x)
Suppose that lim is a or . Then lim = lim 0
x? g(x) 0 x? g(x) x? g (x)
Examples 2.
 
x2 0 1 1 1
lim 2 = lim = =
x2 x 4 0 x2 2x 22 4
 
sin x 0 cos x 1
lim = lim = =1
x0 x 0 x0 1 1
   
x sin x 0 1 cos x 0
lim = lim still
x0 x sin x 0 x0 sin x + x cos x 0
sin x 0
= lim = =0
x0 cos x + cos x x sin x 2

2
What is Wrong with This?
What is wrong with the following argument?
x2
 
0 2x 2 2
lim = lim = lim = =
x0+ sin x 0 x0+ cos x x0+ sin x 0

Remark
LHopitals rule does not apply in cases where the numerator or the denominator
has a finite non-zero limit!!! For example,
2x 0
lim = = 0,
x0+ cos x 1
but a blind application of LHopitals rule leads incorrectly to
2x 2 2
lim+ = lim+ = =
x0 cos x x0 sin x 0

Quiz
Quiz
n 1 o
3. Give the limit for nn
n=1
(a) 1, (b) 2, (c) e.
  n 
1
4. Give the limit for 1+
n n=1
(a) 1, (b) 2, (c) e.

3 More Examples
0
3.1 Form 0
Form 00 3.
Examples
   
sin x x 0 cos x 1 0
lim = lim still!
x0 x3 0 x0 3x2 0
 
sin x 0 cos x 1
= lim still! = lim =
x0 6x 0 x0 6 6

2 cos x 2 + x2
   
0 2 sin x + 2x 0
lim = lim still!
x0 x4 0 x0 4x3 0
 
2 cos x + 2 0
= lim still!
x0 12x2 0
 
2 sin x 0 2 cos x 2 1
= lim still! = lim = =
x0 24x 0 x0 24 24 12

3

3.2 Form

Form
Examples 4.

x2   2x  
lim = lim still!
x ex x ex
2 2
= lim = =0
x ex

ln(3x + 2x )   3x ln 2 + 2x ln 2
lim = lim
x x x 3x + 2x

ln 3 + (2/3)x ln 2 ln 3 + 0
= lim = = ln 3
x 1 + (2/3)x 1+0

3.3 Limit Properties of ln x and ex

Limit Properties of ln x
lim x ln x = 0, > 0.
x0+
Proof.

ln x  
lim+ x ln x (0 ) = lim+
x0 x0 x
1/x x
= lim+ = lim =0
x0 x1 x0+

ln x
lim = 0, > 0.
x x
Proof.

ln x   1/x 1
lim = lim = lim =0
x x x x1 x x1

Remark

ln x tends to infinity slower than any positive power of x.

Any positive power of ln x tends to infinity slower than x.

4
Limit Properties of ex
xn
lim = 0.
x ex

Proof.

xn   nxn1  
lim = lim
x ex x ex
n2 
n(n 1)x 
= lim
x ex
=
n! n!
= lim = =0
x ex

Remark
ex tends to infinity fasterr than any positive power of x.

3.4 Exponential Forms: 1 , 00 , and 0

Exponential Forms: 1 , 00 , and 0
Since ln xp = p ln x, the log can be used to convert each of exponential forms
1 , 00 , and 0 to 0 :
ln(1 ) = 0, ln(00 ) = 0, ln(0 ) = 0 .
If lim ln f (x) = L, then lim f (x) = eL .
x? x?
Example 5.

lim+ xx 00 = e0 = 1


x0

lim ln(xx ) ln 00


= lim+ x ln x (0 )
x0+ x0
ln x   1/x
= lim = lim = lim (x) = 0
x0+ 1/x x0+ 1/x2 x0+

Examples 6.
More Exponential Forms: 1 , 00 , and 0

lim x1/x 0 = e0 = 1


x

lim (1 + x)1/x (1 ) = e1 = e
x0+

5
 ln x   1/x
lim ln x1/x ln 0


= lim
= lim =0
x x x x 1
 
1/x ln(1 + x) 0
lim ln(1 + x) (ln 1 ) = lim
x0+ x0+ x 0
1
= lim =1
x0+ 1 + x

1
Set x = n, we have the familiar result: as n , n n 1.

n
Set x = 1/n, we have: as n , 1 + n1 e.

3.5 Form
Form
The form can be handled by converting it to a quotient.
 
sin x 1 0
lim (tan x sec x) ( ) = lim
x(/2) x(/2) cos x 0
cos x 0
= lim = =0
x(/2) sin x 1
x
ee
 

x+ex x
 1 0
lim e e ( ) = lim
x x ex 0
x
ee (ex ) x
= lim x
= lim ee = e0 = 1
x e x

sin x 1 sin x 1
tan x sec x = =
cos x cos x cos x
x
x
 x  ee 1
ex+e ex = ex ee 1 =
ex

Outline

Contents
1 Indeterminate Forms 1
1.1 (0/0) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 (/) and Others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2 LHopitals Rule 2
2.1 Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

6
3 Examples 3
3.1 00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3.2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3.3 ln x and ex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3.4 Exponential Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6