Calculating Limits without Cheating or L'Hopital's Rule

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating limits without using calculators or L'Hôpital's rule. Participants explore specific limits involving logarithmic functions as x approaches 0 and infinity, and they also introduce new limit problems for consideration.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant presents two limits to calculate: \(\lim_{x\rightarrow 0} \frac{ln(x^{2}+e^{x})}{ln(x^{4}+e^{2x})}\) and \(\lim_{x\rightarrow \infty } \frac{ln(x^{2}+e^{x})}{ln(x^{4}+e^{2x})}\).
  • Another participant suggests that by manipulating the denominator, they arrive at a limit of 0.5 for both cases, but later expresses uncertainty about their method.
  • A participant introduces a new limit problem involving logarithmic expressions and hints at using a specific limit property related to logarithms.
  • One participant expresses confusion about the hint provided and admits to having made a mistake in their previous solution, despite arriving at the correct final answer.
  • Another participant elaborates on the first limit using the limit definition of \(e\) and Taylor series approximations, arriving at a limit of 0.5, but questions the validity of their technique.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the methods used to calculate the limits, and there are multiple competing views regarding the correctness of the approaches and the final answers.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about the validity of certain techniques, such as using Taylor series approximations and the limit definition of \(e\). There are also unresolved mathematical steps in the calculations presented.

Yankel
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Hello all,

I am trying to calculate the following limits, without cheating and using a calculator (by setting a very close value of the required value of x). And no l'hopital's rule either if possible :-)

The limits are:

\[\lim_{x\rightarrow 0} \frac{ln(x^{2}+e^{x})}{ln(x^{4}+e^{2x})}\]

\[\lim_{x\rightarrow \infty } \frac{ln(x^{2}+e^{x})}{ln(x^{4}+e^{2x})}\]

Thank you.
 
Last edited:
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mmm...after rethinking the problem. If on the denominator, I take the power of 2 up, and then using ln rules takes it out of the ln, I get 0.5. Is this the answer for both cases ?

If so, I apologize, and here is a new question instead :-)

\[\lim_{x\rightarrow \infty }[(x+2)ln(x+2)-2(x+1)ln(x+1)+xln(x)]\]
 
Last edited:
Yankel said:
mmm...after rethinking the problem. If on the denominator, I take the power of 2 up, and then using ln rules takes it out of the ln, I get 0.5. Is this the answer for both cases ?

If so, I apologize, and here is a new question instead :-)

\[\lim_{x\rightarrow \infty }[(x+2)ln(x+2)-2(x+1)ln(x+1)+xln(x)]\]

Hint: use that

$$\lim_{x \to \infty } x \log(x+1)-x \log(x) = 1 $$
 
I'm afraid that the hint is not helping, I don't know how to proceed.

In addition, my solution to the first limits is wrong (final answer is correct, but the way is wrong).
 
The first one (using the limit definition of $e$ and approximation to Taylor series):

$$\lim_{x\to0}\dfrac{\ln(x^2+e^x)}{\ln(x^4+e^{2x})}=\lim_{x\to0}\dfrac{\ln(x^2+[(x+1)^{1/x}]^x)}{\ln(x^4+[(2x+1)^{1/x}]^x)}=\lim_{x\to0}\dfrac{\ln(x^2+x+1)}{\ln(x^4+2x+1)}\sim\dfrac{\ln(e^x)}{\ln(e^{2x})}=\dfrac12$$

Third one:

$$\ln\left(\lim_{x\to\infty}\dfrac{(x+2)^{x+2}\cdot x^x}{(x+1)^{2(x+1)}}\right)\sim\ln(1)=0$$
 
greg1313 said:
The first one (using the limit definition of $e$ and approximation to Taylor series):

$$\lim_{x\to0}\dfrac{\ln(x^2+e^x)}{\ln(x^4+e^{2x})}=\lim_{x\to0}\dfrac{\ln(x^2+[(x+1)^{1/x}]^x)}{\ln(x^4+[(2x+1)^{1/x}]^x)}=\lim_{x\to0}\dfrac{\ln(x^2+x+1)}{\ln(x^4+2x+1)}\sim\dfrac{\ln(e^x)}{\ln(e^{2x})}=\dfrac12$$

This technique (with the limit definition of $e$) is questionable. Consider using it to solve

$$\lim_{x\to0}\dfrac{e^x-x-1}{x^2}$$
 

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