What is Limit: Definition and 1000 Discussions

In mathematics, the limit inferior and limit superior of a sequence can be thought of as limiting (i.e., eventual and extreme) bounds on the sequence. They can be thought of in a similar fashion for a function (see limit of a function). For a set, they are the infimum and supremum of the set's limit points, respectively. In general, when there are multiple objects around which a sequence, function, or set accumulates, the inferior and superior limits extract the smallest and largest of them; the type of object and the measure of size is context-dependent, but the notion of extreme limits is invariant.
Limit inferior is also called infimum limit, limit infimum, liminf, inferior limit, lower limit, or inner limit; limit superior is also known as supremum limit, limit supremum, limsup, superior limit, upper limit, or outer limit.

The limit inferior of a sequence




x

n




{\displaystyle x_{n}}
is denoted by





lim inf

n





x

n




or





lim
_



n






x

n


.


{\displaystyle \liminf _{n\to \infty }x_{n}\quad {\text{or}}\quad \varliminf _{n\to \infty }x_{n}.}
The limit superior of a sequence




x

n




{\displaystyle x_{n}}
is denoted by





lim sup

n





x

n




or





lim
¯



n






x

n


.


{\displaystyle \limsup _{n\to \infty }x_{n}\quad {\text{or}}\quad \varlimsup _{n\to \infty }x_{n}.}

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  1. karush

    MHB Limit of (sqrt(16x^4+64x^2)) /(2x^2_4)

    $$\lim_{{x}\to{\infty}}\frac{\sqrt{16{x}^{4}+64 {x}^{2} }+x^2}{2x^{2} - 4}=\frac{5}{2}$$ I tried to solve this by dividing all terms by$x^4$ but then the denomator will go zero.
  2. F

    Unusual Limit: Understanding the Discrepancy in the Integral of xe^-x

    This was just very basic, I have accepted it in just a heartbeat, but when I tried to chopped it and examined one by one, somethings fishy is happening, this just involved \int_{0}^{\infty}x e^{-x}dx=1. Well, when we do Integration by parts we will have let u = x du = dx dv = e^{-x}dx v =...
  3. kostoglotov

    Need help understanding how these limits were evaluated

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  4. loreberto911

    What is the oblique limit of a function with a hard limit to infinity?

    Hi everybody, I have this function to study ##\frac{(x+1)}{arctan(x+1)}## I need the limit to infinity,it's oblique and I have to find q,from y=mx+q. so q=lim(x->inf) ##\frac{(x+1)}{arctan(x+1)} -2x/\pi## I don't know how to solve it.the limit gives infinity to me.but calculators online give...
  5. A

    How to Solve Limits Involving Square Roots and Infinity?

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  6. T

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  7. Alpharup

    Is the Limit of a Function at a Point Always Unique?

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  8. L

    I can't seem to find this limit

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  9. M

    Limit of function with two variables

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  10. G

    MHB Calculating $\displaystyle \lim_{x\to 0}$ Complex Limit

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  11. Q

    What is the Limit of the Sequence b_n = n - sqrt(n^2 + 2n)?

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  12. G

    MHB Calculating the Limit of $\displaystyle \frac{5^{\sin{h}}-1}{\tan{h}}$

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  13. G

    MHB Calculating Hyperbolic Limit of $\frac{x}{\cosh{x}}$

    How do you calculate the limit $\displaystyle \lim_{x \to \infty}\frac{x}{\cosh{x}}$
  14. G

    MHB Limit as x goes to 5 from below

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  15. G

    MHB Show $\displaystyle \lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{50x^{10}+100}{x^{11}+x^6+1}=0$

    How do you show that $\displaystyle \lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{50x^{10}+100}{x^{11}+x^6+1}=0$ What I tried: $\displaystyle \lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{50x^{10}+100}{x^{11}+x^6+1} =\lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{50+100/x^{11}}{1+1/x^{5}+1/x^{11}} = \frac{50+0}{1+0+0} = 50.$ But this is wrong. (Angry)
  16. G

    MHB Calculating Limit as x Approaches Infinity

    I'm trying to find $\displaystyle \lim_{x \to 20^{+}}\frac{5x^3+1}{20x^3-8000x}$ $\displaystyle \lim_{x \to 20^{+}}\frac{5x^3+1}{20x^3-8000x} =\lim_{x \to 20^{+}}\frac{5+1/x^3}{20-8000/x^2} = \frac{5+\lim_{x \to 20^{+}}1/x^3}{20-\lim_{x \to 20^{+}}8000/x^2} =...
  17. J

    Limit of a continuous time Markov chain

    Homework Statement Calculate the limit $$lim_{s,t→∞} R_X(s, s+t) = lim_{s,t→∞}E(X(s)X(s+t))$$ for a continuous time Markov chain $$(X(t) ; t ≥ 0)$$ with state space S and generator G given by $$S = (0, 1)$$ $$ G= \begin{pmatrix} -\alpha & \alpha \\ \beta & -\beta\...
  18. ognik

    MHB Why is $U_n$ greater than $\frac{A}{n}$ for large enough values of $n$?

    Hi, my book says that $\lim_{{n}\to{\infty}} {n}^{p}U_n \rightarrow A \lt \infty, p \gt 1 $ means that $U_n \lt \frac{A}{{n}^{p}} $, which I can see But apparently $ \lim_{{n}\to{\infty}}n U_n = A \gt 0 $ means that $ U_n \gt \frac{A}{n} $ I know this is going to sound like a stupid...
  19. Odious Suspect

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    Joos asserts on page 31 https://books.google.com/books?id=btrCAgAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&pg=PA31#v=onepage&q&f=false that $$\nabla \times \mathfrak{v} = \lim_{\Delta \tau \to 0} \frac{1}{\Delta \tau }\oint d\mathfrak{S}\times \mathfrak{v}$$ I tried to demonstrate this, and neglected to place the surface...
  20. Odious Suspect

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  21. qq545282501

    Why is the limit for theta = pi/2 instead of 2pi?

    Homework Statement use cylindrical coordinates to find the volume of the solid which is under z=xy, above xy-plane and inside the cylinder x^2+y^2=2x Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution \int_{0}^{pi/2} \int_{0}^{2cos\theta} \int_{0}^{r^2\cos\theta\sin\theta} r\, dz \, dr \, d\theta...
  22. S

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  23. C

    Find Limit of an in Series with a0,a1 & n

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  24. F

    Multivalued limit of (i + i/n)^n

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  25. P

    Find the limit cycle for this dynamical system

    Homework Statement Consider the dynamical system: $$\dot{r}=-ar^4+ar^3+r^6-r^5+r^2-r~;~~\dot{\theta}=1$$ Find all fixed points and limit cycles for: a) ##~~a=2## b)##~~a<2## c)##~~2<a<2\sqrt{2}## Homework Equations Not applicable. The Attempt at a Solution For all three values/ranges...
  26. Justice Hunter

    Limit of Wind Speed on Planets: Factors and Upper Bound Explanation

    Besides solar wind, what is the limit of a natural wind on planets? I know it's based on rotation and atmospheric pressure differences, but is there an upper limit to how fast wind can get on a planetary scale? I would imagine that the speed of sound would justify a limit, but that doesn't...
  27. iwantcalculus

    Solving a limit by l'hopital's rule

    So, according to answer sheet, the answer is 1... The question is : limit as x approaches infinity of : squareroot( x^2 + x ) - squareroot( x^2 - x) I tried to put it in a limit calculator, but the steps shown are very complex and don't even involve l'hopital's rule... I think the solution...
  28. S

    Current limit through solar cell (forward bias)

    How much current can be forced through a photovoltaic (solar) cell before its performance starts to deteriorate? In certain accelerated lifetime testing 1.25xIsc is forced through a solar module while it sits inside a chamber (no incident light). Is there a theoretical limit to the amount of...
  29. T

    Derivative of Axial Resolution from Rayleigh's Limit

    I am currently studying optical microscope and discover that the axial resolution is limited as r(z) = 2pi / (NA)^2. However, while I got hints that it is due to the Rayleigh's limit, I can't derivative the equation using numerical method. It would be huge thanks if anyone can help me on the...
  30. astrololo

    Using L'Hospital's Rule to Find the Limit of (1+1/n)^n as n Approaches Infinity

    Homework Statement I have lim of n > infinity (1+1/n)^n Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution I know that I must use l'hospital rule and setting ln y = n ln (1+1/n) And after lim n ln (1+1/n) as n approaches infinity. After what do I do ?
  31. A

    Radiation reaction in the classical limit of QED?

    The classical problem of radiation reaction classical electrodynamics seems to be a huge mess with no good answer. There is no even consensus of the very form of the Newton law "predicted" theory. So, the question of this thread is: Does the classical limit of QED say something about this...
  32. W

    I think this is about the Central Limit Theorem

    Homework Statement An engineer is measuring a quantity q. It is assumed that there is a random error in each measurement, so the engineer will take n measurements and reports the average of the measurements as the estimated value of q. Specifically, if Yi is the value that is obtained in the...
  33. O

    MHB Limit of Absolute Values and Metric Spaces

    Let $\lim_{{k}\to{\infty}}d\left({x}_{m\left(k\right)},{x}_{m\left(k\right)-1}\right)=\varepsilon$ and $\lim_{{k}\to{\infty}}d\left({x}_{n\left(k\right)},{x}_{m\left(k\right)}\right)=\varepsilon$...Can we say that...
  34. N

    Relativistic momentum (Lorentz boost) low velocity limit

    Hello, If I have a momenta pμ=(E,px,py,pz) and transform it via lorentz boost in x-direction with velocity v I'll get for the new 0th component E′=γE+γvpx why is this in the limit of low velocities the same as transforming the energy by a galilei transformation with velocity v? For γvpx i get...
  35. M

    The limit of random variable is not defined

    Let ##X_i## are i.i.d. and take -1 and +1 with probability 1/2 each. How to prove ##\lim_{n\rightarrow\infty}{\sum_{i=1}^{n}{X_i} }##does not exsits (even infinite limit) almost surely. My work: I use cauchy sequence to prove it does not converge to a real number. But I do not how to prove it...
  36. P

    When does the limit become quantized?

    so a quick Q. the equation for charging a capacitor seems to indicate that charge (watts) will always be charging the capacitor, but is it true that as t⇒∞ the charging actually stops and the state of equilibrium is quantized?
  37. Avatrin

    Epsilon delta definition of limit

    I am struggling to properly understand the \varepsilon-\delta definition of limits. So, f(x) gets closer to L as x approaches a. That is okay. However, taking the leap from there to the \varepsilon-\delta definition is something I have never really been able to do. Why is the formulation we...
  38. Z

    Proof: A point is a limit point of S is a limt of a sequence

    Hi guys, I attempted to prove this theorem, but just wanted to see if it a valid proof. Thanks! 1. Homework Statement Prove that x is an accumulation point of a set S iff there exists a sequence ( s n ) of points in S \ {x} that converges to x Homework Equations N * ( x; ε ) is the x -...
  39. Q

    What is the Limit of the Partition Function in the Low Temperature Regime?

    Homework Statement Ground state energy is set at 0. E_n=\left(1-\frac{1}{n+1}\right)\in with no degeneracy (\Omega(n)=1); (n=0,1,2...) Write down the partition function and look for its limit when kt \gg \in\\ kt \ll \in Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution Partition function for this...
  40. R

    MHB Using Continuity to evaluate limit of a trig function

    Hello! I was wondering if anyone could expand upon and help me with this as I'm struggling "Use continuity to evalute \lim_{{x}\to{\pi}}\cos(x+\sin(x))" I do remember faintly how to do limits of "normal" numbers, but with trig I did not learn at all so I'm confused. This is same as finding the...
  41. Q

    Continous limit of a multivariate normal distribution

    Hello everyone, I am currently considering a set of random variables, \vec{x} = [x_1,x_2,...x_N] which are know to follow a multivariate normal distribution, P(\vec{x}) \propto \mathrm{exp}(-\frac{1}{2}(\vec{x}-\vec{\mu})^\mathrm{T}\Sigma^{-1}(\vec{x}-\vec{\mu})) The covariance matrix Σ and...
  42. lordianed

    Prove that f approaches a limit near a if and only if a = 0

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  43. wololo

    Multivariable continuity using limits

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  44. M

    Time limit between GRE and application packages

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  45. S

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  46. thegirl

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  47. Buzz Bloom

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    I recently came across a Wikipedia article about somebody's (?) law regarding limits on a moon's orbital radius because the sun's gravitational influence is greater than the planet's at some distance from the planet. As I recall, the law had two different names associated with it. In addition to...
  48. P

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    I was thinking recently about the Casimir Effect and at what distance does the effect become negligible? Is there any relevance on the surface area (or difference in areas) between the plates (I personally held the opposite, that any point can be considered to have equivalent pressure as any...
  49. O

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  50. Mr Davis 97

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