MHB Limit of another trigonometric function

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The limit discussed is $$\lim_{{x}\to{\pi/4}} \frac{1-\tan(x)}{\sin(x)-\cos(x)}$$, which results in an indeterminate form. Applying L'Hôpital's rule leads to the expression $$\lim_{{x}\to{\pi/4}} \frac{-\sec^2(x)}{\cos(x)+\sin(x)}$$. Evaluating this at $x = \frac{\pi}{4}$ reveals that $\cos(x) + \sin(x) = 0$, necessitating further simplification. Ultimately, the limit simplifies to $-\sqrt{2}$. The discussion emphasizes the importance of recognizing indeterminate forms and proper simplification techniques.
tmt1
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$$\lim_{{x}\to{\pi/4}} \frac{1-\tan(x)}{\sin(x)-\cos(x)}$$

So using, L'Hospital's rule, I get:

$$\lim_{{x}\to{\pi/4}} \frac{\sec^2(x)}{\cos(x)+\sin(x)}$$

But $\cos(x)+\sin(x) = 0$ when $x = \dfrac{\pi}{4}$ which is an indeterminate form, so how do I go from here?
 
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tmt said:
$$\lim_{{x}\to{\pi/4}} \frac{1-\tan(x)}{\sin(x)-\cos(x)}$$

So using, L'Hospital's rule, I get:

$$\lim_{{x}\to{\pi/4}} \frac{\sec^2(x)}{\cos(x)+\sin(x)}$$

But $\cos(x)+\sin(x) = 0$ when $x = \dfrac{\pi}{4}$ which is an indeterminate form, so how do I go from here?

Using L'Hôpital's rule, you should get:

$$\lim_{{x}\to{\pi/4}} \frac{-\sec^2(x)}{\cos(x)+\sin(x)}$$

Rethink:

$$\cos\left(\frac{\pi}{4}\right)+\sin\left(\frac{\pi}{4}\right)$$...:D
 
MarkFL said:
Using L'Hôpital's rule, you should get:

$$\lim_{{x}\to{\pi/4}} \frac{-\sec^2(x)}{\cos(x)+\sin(x)}$$

Rethink:

$$\cos\left(\frac{\pi}{4}\right)+\sin\left(\frac{\pi}{4}\right)$$...:D

Thanks,

I get

$-\frac{2}{\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}+\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}}$

which is equal to

$-\frac{1}{\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}}$

.

$-\frac{1}{\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}}$

$- \frac{2}{\sqrt{2}}$

But the answer is just $-\sqrt{2}$
 
$$-\frac{2}{\sqrt{2}}=-\frac{\sqrt{2}\cdot\cancel{\sqrt{2}}}{\cancel{\sqrt{2}}}=-\sqrt{2}$$

You had the correct answer, it could just be further simplified. :D
 
There are probably loads of proofs of this online, but I do not want to cheat. Here is my attempt: Convexity says that $$f(\lambda a + (1-\lambda)b) \leq \lambda f(a) + (1-\lambda) f(b)$$ $$f(b + \lambda(a-b)) \leq f(b) + \lambda (f(a) - f(b))$$ We know from the intermediate value theorem that there exists a ##c \in (b,a)## such that $$\frac{f(a) - f(b)}{a-b} = f'(c).$$ Hence $$f(b + \lambda(a-b)) \leq f(b) + \lambda (a - b) f'(c))$$ $$\frac{f(b + \lambda(a-b)) - f(b)}{\lambda(a-b)}...

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