Calculating the Limit of a Complex Expression

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the limit of a complex expression involving polynomial functions as x approaches infinity. The expression in question is a rational function with polynomials in both the numerator and denominator.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the use of the binomial theorem and the significance of the highest degree terms in the numerator and denominator. There is a concern about the equal degree of the polynomials and how to proceed from that point. Some participants suggest finding the coefficients of the leading terms as a potential approach.

Discussion Status

The discussion is active, with participants sharing different perspectives on how to approach the limit calculation. Some guidance has been offered regarding focusing on leading coefficients, but there is no explicit consensus on the best method to apply given the constraints of the participants' learning context.

Contextual Notes

One participant notes that they cannot use L'Hôpital's rule due to not having learned it yet, which adds to the complexity of the problem. The equal degree of the numerator and denominator is also a point of contention that is being examined.

gipc
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How do I calculate the limit:
[itex]lim x-> infinity ((2x+1)^13(3x-7)^17)/((3x+5)^30)[/itex]

Should I use the binomial theorem to open it up?
 
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I can't use L'Hopital because we didn't learn it yet. That's what making this question troubling. The power is 30 in the numerator and the denominator so I'm not sure how to work around it.
 
When taking the limit of a rational function as x goes to infinity you only need to consider the highest degree term in the denominator and the numerator, because the rest of the terms don't grow as fast
 
Well that's exactly the problem, the denominator and the numerator's power is 30 so it's obviously the same degree. What do I do from this point?
 
If you had to find the limit as x goes to infinity of [tex]\frac{5x^7}{12x^7}[/tex], it's obviously 5/12 right? Same deal, find what the coefficient of each term is and that's your limit
 
Well, that method is a lot faster than mine!
 
If you do l'hopital's rule, at the end you'll just get the ratio of the leading coefficients, with each being multiplied by n! where n was the degree of the numerator and denominator, so it's easy to see how L'hopital implies this method
 

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