Understanding L'Hôpital's rule

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    L'hopital's rule
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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around understanding L'Hôpital's rule, particularly in the context of limits involving differentiable functions. The original poster is attempting to justify the relationship between the derivatives of two functions and their limits as they approach a specific point.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the justification for using the definition of the derivative and boundary rules to relate the derivatives of functions to their limits. Questions arise regarding the conditions under which limits can be manipulated, particularly in the context of continuity and differentiability.

Discussion Status

Some participants have provided hints and clarifications regarding the conditions necessary for limit manipulation. There is an ongoing exploration of the assumptions involved in applying L'Hôpital's rule, with no explicit consensus reached on the original poster's approach.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the importance of understanding the definitions and conditions under which limits and derivatives can be interchanged, particularly emphasizing the need for the limit in the denominator to be non-zero.

Kolika28
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Homework Statement
Let f and g be derivable functions and let a be a real number such that

##f(a)=g(a)=0 ##
##g'(a) ≠ 0 ##

Justify that
##\frac{f'(a)}{g'(a)} ## = ##\lim_{x\to a}\frac{f(x)}{g(x)}##

You may only use the definition of the derivative and boundary rules.
Relevant Equations
##\lim_{h\to 0}\frac{f(x+h)-f(x)}{h}##
My attempt:
##\frac{f'(a)}{g'(a)} ## =
##\lim_{h\to 0}\frac{f(a+h)-f(a)}{h}\cdot\frac{h}{g(a+h)-g(a)}##
= ##\lim_{h\to 0}\frac{f(a+h)-f(a)}{g(a+h)-g(a)}##

I don't think I am doing this right. I don't even understand how I am supposed to use the boundary rules. I really appreciate some help!
 
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Kolika28 said:
Homework Statement: Let f and g be derivable functions and let a be a real number such that
In English we say "differentiable" not "derivable."
Kolika28 said:
##f(a)=g(a)=0 ##
##g'(a) ≠ 0 ##

Justify that
##\frac{f'(a)}{g'(a)} ## = ##\lim_{x\to a}\frac{f(x)}{g(x)}##

You may only use the definition of the derivative and boundary rules.
Homework Equations: ##\lim_{h\to 0}\frac{f(x+h)-f(x)}{h}##

My attempt:
##\frac{f'(a)}{g'(a)} ## =
##\lim_{h\to 0}\frac{f(a+h)-f(a)}{h}\cdot\frac{h}{g(a+h)-g(a)}##
No, this (above) isn't correct.
##\frac{f'(a)}{g'(a)} ##
##= \frac{\lim_{h\to 0}\frac{f(a+h)-f(a)}{h}}{\lim_{h\to 0}\frac{g(a+h)-g(a)}{h}}##
You would need to justify turning this quotient of limits into the limit of a quotient (or the limit of the product you wrote.)

As a hint, you know that the limit in the denominator exists, right? You also know the values of f(a) and g(a).
Kolika28 said:
= ##\lim_{h\to 0}\frac{f(a+h)-f(a)}{g(a+h)-g(a)}##

I don't think I am doing this right. I don't even understand how I am supposed to use the boundary rules. I really appreciate some help!
 
Mark44 said:
In English we say "differentiable" not "derivable."
No, this (above) isn't correct.
##\frac{f'(a)}{g'(a)} ##
##= \frac{\lim_{h\to 0}\frac{f(a+h)-f(a)}{h}}{\lim_{h\to 0}\frac{g(a+h)-g(a)}{h}}##
You would need to justify turning this quotient of limits into the limit of a quotient (or the limit of the product you wrote.)

As a hint, you know that the limit in the denominator exists, right? You also know the values of f(a) and g(a).

Hmm, I'm sorry, but I takes some time for me to understand. So I can't write the limit as a product of those two fractions to get rid of the h? I know that the limit in the denominator exist and the values of f(a) and g(a) is equal to zero, but I don't see how I am supposed to use those facts to get to the term

##\lim_{x\to a}\frac{f(x)}{g(x)} ##
 
Kolika28 said:
Hmm, I'm sorry, but I takes some time for me to understand. So I can't write the limit as a product of those two fractions to get rid of the h?
Under what conditions is it true that ##\lim_{x \to a} \frac{f(x)}{g(x)} = \frac{\lim_{x \to a}f(x)}{\lim_{x \to a}g(x)}##? You seemed to gloss over this by assuming that it's always true.
Kolika28 said:
I know that the limit in the denominator exist and the values of f(a) and g(a) is equal to zero, but I don't see how I am supposed to use those facts to get to the term

##\lim_{x\to a}\frac{f(x)}{g(x)} ##
##\lim_{x \to a} F(x)## is the same as ##\lim_{h \to 0} F(a + h)##, right? You can change to a different variable for the limit.
 
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Mark44 said:
Under what conditions is it true that limx→af(x)g(x)=limx→af(x)limx→ag(x)limx→af(x)g(x)=limx→af(x)limx→ag(x)\lim_{x \to a} \frac{f(x)}{g(x)} = \frac{\lim_{x \to a}f(x)}{\lim_{x \to a}g(x)}? You seemed to gloss over this by assuming that it's always true.

If the function is continuous and differentiable?
 
Mark44 said:
Under what conditions is it true that ##\lim_{x \to a} \frac{f(x)}{g(x)} = \frac{\lim_{x \to a}f(x)}{\lim_{x \to a}g(x)}##?
Kolika28 said:
If the function is continuous and differentiable?
Differentiability isn't necessary. If both limits on the right side of the equation I wrote exist, and the limit in the denominator is not zero, then the quotient of the limits equals the limit of the quotients.
 
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I
Mark44 said:
Differentiability isn't necessary. If both limits on the right side of the equation I wrote exist, and the limit in the denominator is not zero, then the quotient of the limits equals the limit of the quotients.

I have been looking at the information you have given me, and I finally understand it! Thank you so much!
 

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