Can L'Hopital's Rule Resolve This Trigonometric Limit?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around evaluating the limit \(\lim_{t→2\pi\mathbb{N}}\frac{\sin(t)}{1-\cos(t)}\) for natural numbers \(\mathbb{N}\). Participants are exploring the implications of applying L'Hôpital's Rule in the context of trigonometric limits.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the initial evaluation leading to an indeterminate form of \(0/0\) and the subsequent application of L'Hôpital's Rule. There are questions about the nature of the limit after differentiating, particularly regarding whether it approaches \(\infty\) or \(-\infty\). Some suggest examining the behavior of the denominator as \(t\) approaches \(2\pi\mathbb{N}\) to clarify the limit's existence.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants providing insights and examples related to limits approaching zero. There is a focus on determining the behavior of the limit and whether it is defined or undefined based on the sign of the denominator. No explicit consensus has been reached yet.

Contextual Notes

Participants are considering the implications of applying L'Hôpital's Rule multiple times and are questioning the validity of their approaches based on the nature of the limit. There is an emphasis on understanding the conditions under which the limit exists or fails to exist.

Bipolarity
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Homework Statement



Evaluate the following limit

[tex]\lim_{t→2π\mathbb{N}}\frac{sin(t)}{1-cos(t)}[/tex] for all natural numbers [itex]\mathbb{N}[/itex].

Homework Equations


The Attempt at a Solution


Plugging in [itex]2π\mathbb{N}[/itex] gives us 0 for both the numerator and denominator. Thus, we differentiate top and bottom to get [tex]\lim_{t→2π\mathbb{N}}\frac{cos(t)}{sin(t)}[/tex] which evaluates to [itex]\frac{1}{0}[/itex] which does not exist.

Am I correct?

BiP
 
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Bipolarity said:

Homework Statement



Evaluate the following limit

[tex]\lim_{t→2π\mathbb{N}}\frac{sin(t)}{1-cos(t)}[/tex] for all natural numbers [itex]\mathbb{N}[/itex].

Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution


Plugging in [itex]2π\mathbb{N}[/itex] gives us 0 for both the numerator and denominator. Thus, we differentiate top and bottom to get [tex]\lim_{t→2π\mathbb{N}}\frac{cos(t)}{sin(t)}[/tex] which evaluates to [itex]\frac{1}{0}[/itex] which does not exist.

Am I correct?

BiP

Use l'hopital's rule the second time to get -sin(t)/cos(t) and evaluate that to see what you get. But "1/0" is the correct way of writing 1/0 and that is infinity if you're dealing with limits.
 
Bipolarity said:

Homework Statement



Evaluate the following limit

[tex]\lim_{t→2π\mathbb{N}}\frac{sin(t)}{1-cos(t)}[/tex] for all natural numbers [itex]\mathbb{N}[/itex].

Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution


Plugging in [itex]2π\mathbb{N}[/itex] gives us 0 for both the numerator and denominator. Thus, we differentiate top and bottom to get [tex]\lim_{t→2π\mathbb{N}}\frac{cos(t)}{sin(t)}[/tex] which evaluates to [itex]\frac{1}{0}[/itex] which does not exist.

Am I correct?

BiP

You probably should elaborate a bit. Here are two examples of limits where the denominator approaches 0.

$$ \text{1}~\lim_{x \to 0} \frac{1}{x}$$
$$ \text{2}~\lim_{x \to 0} \frac{1}{x^2}$$

For the first, the limit does not exist in any sense, since the left- and right-side limits are different. For the second, the limit also does not exist, in the sense of being a finite number, but we say that the limit is ∞.

For your problem, is the limit ∞ or -∞, or does it fail to exist at all?
 
Mark44 said:
You probably should elaborate a bit. Here are two examples of limits where the denominator approaches 0.

$$ \text{1}~\lim_{x \to 0} \frac{1}{x}$$
$$ \text{2}~\lim_{x \to 0} \frac{1}{x^2}$$

For the first, the limit does not exist in any sense, since the left- and right-side limits are different. For the second, the limit also does not exist, in the sense of being a finite number, but we say that the limit is ∞.

For your problem, is the limit ∞ or -∞, or does it fail to exist at all?

How can I show which one of these is the case in my problem?

BiP
 
Bipolarity said:
How can I show which one of these is the case in my problem?

BiP
In the expression cos(t)/sin(t), when t is close to k(2##\pi##), the numerator is close to 1, and the denominator is close to 0. The key is to determine what the denominator is doing when t is also close to this value. If the denominator changes sign, then the limit is undefined. If the denominator doesn't change sign, then the limit is either ∞ or -∞.
 
mtayab1994 said:
Use l'hopital's rule the second time to get -sin(t)/cos(t) and evaluate that to see what you get. But "1/0" is the correct way of writing 1/0 and that is infinity if you're dealing with limits.
You can't use L'Hôpital's rule a second time. after on application, you don't have an indeterminate form.

Bipolarity,

Look at [itex]\displaystyle \frac{\cos(t)}{\sin(t)}[/itex] as [itex]\displaystyle \cos(t)\text{csc}(t)\ .[/itex]
 

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