Basic Calculus

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

 K to 12 BASIC EDUCATION CURRICULUM \
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL – SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY,
ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS (STEM)
SPECIALIZED SUBJECT

Course*Title:"Basic"Calculus
Semester:"Second"Semester
No.*of*Hours/Semester:"80"hrs/sem
Prerequisite:"Pre8Calculus
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Subject Description:
At the end of the course, the students must
know how to determine the limit of a function,
differentiate, and integrate algebraic, exponential,
logarithmic, and trigonometric functions in one
variable, and to formulate and solve problems
involving continuity, extreme values, related rates,
population models, and areas of plane regions.

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Introduction to Limits

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.
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INTRODUCTION

Limits are the backbone of calculus, and

CALCULUS is called the Mathematics of Change. The

study of limits is necessary in studying change in great

detail. The evaluation of a particular limit is what

underlies the formulation of the derivative and the

integral of a function.

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imagine that you are
going to watch a
basketball game

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This is how it is with limits of functions. We will consider

functions of a single variable and study the behaviour of the

function as its variable approaches a particular value (a

constant). The variable can only take values very, very

close to the constant, but it cannot equal the constant itself.

However, the limit will be able to describe clearly what is

happening to the function near that constant.

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In symbols,

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LOOKING AT A TABLE OF VALUES
We first consider approaching 2
from its left or through values
less than 2.

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LOOKING AT A TABLE OF VALUES
Now we consider approaching 2
from its right or through values
greater than but close to 2.

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In symbols,

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EXAMPLE 1: Investigate

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c =1 and f(x)=x2 +1

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c =1 and f(x)=x2 +1

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The tables show that as x approaches 1, f(x) approaches 2. In
symbols,

c =1 and f(x) = x2 +1

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EXAMPLE 2: Investigate

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c =0 and f(x)= |x|

Approaching 0 from the left

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c =0 and f(x)= |x|

Approaching 0 from the right

Hence,
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EXAMPLE 3: Investigate

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Approaching 1 from the left

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 Approaching
1 from the
right

The tables show that as x approaches 1, f(x)

approaches 3.
In symbols,

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EXAMPLE 4: Investigate

if

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c =4and f(x)=x +1

In this case, when x

approaches 4 from
the left, the values
taken should be
substituted in
f(x)=x +1. Indeed,
this is the part of
the function which
accepts values less
than 4. So,
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c =4 and f(x)=(x-4)2 +3

On the other hand,

when x approaches
4 from the right, the
values taken should
be substituted in

f(x)=(x-4)2 +3. So,

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Remark 1:

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Remark 2:
• If x approaches c from the left, or through
values less than c, then we write lim f(x).

• If x approaches c from the right, or through

values greater than c, then we write lim f(x).

Furthermore, we say lim f(x) = L

if and only if
lim f(x) = L and lim f(x) = L.

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Remark 2:
In other words, for a limit L to exist, the limits
from the left and from the right must both exist
and be equal to L.

Therefore,
.
These limits are also referred to as one-sided
limits, since you only consider values on one
side of c.

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LOOKING AT THE GRAPH OF y = f(x)
Consider again f(x) = 1 + 3 x.
Its graph is the straight line
with slope 3 and intercepts
(0,1) and (1/3,0). Look at the
graph in the vicinity of x =2 .
You can easily see the points
(1,4), (1.4,5.2), (1.7,6.1), and
so on, approaching the level
where y =7 . The same can
be seen from the right.
Hence, the graph clearly
confirms that

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It can be seen
from the graph
that as values
of x approach1,
the values of
f(x) approach
2.

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the two sides of
the graph both
move
downward to
the origin (0,0)
as x
approaches 0.

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So, in general, if we have the
graph of a function
determining limits can be
done much faster and easier
by inspection.

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