Graphical limit where function undefined

2m read

·Nov 11, 2024

So we have the graph of ( y = f(x) ) right over here. What we want to do is figure out the limit of ( f(x) ) as ( x ) approaches -4. So, what does that mean?

Well, a limit is saying, “What is my function approaching as the input of that function approaches, in this case, -4?” As the input approaches a value, and as we see in this example, the function doesn't necessarily have to be even defined at that value. We can see ( f(4) ), you go to ( x ) at -4, and you see that ( f(4) ) is undefined. So this is not defined, but as we'll see, even though the function isn't defined there, the limit might be defined there.

Actually, it could go the other way around; sometimes a function is defined there, but the limit is not, and we'll see that in future videos. But let's just get an understanding here of what's going on as ( x ) approaches -4 from values greater than -4 and from values less than -4.

Well, let's first think about values greater than -4. So when ( x ) is -1, this is ( f(-1) ). This is ( f(-2) ). This is ( f(-3) ). This is ( f(-3.5) ). This is ( f(-3.9) ). This is ( f(-3.99) ). This is ( f(-4.0001) ). You can see the value of our function, as ( x ) gets closer and closer to -4 from values greater than -4, seems to be approaching 6.

Let’s see if that's true from the other direction, some from values less than -4. So this is ( f(-7) ). This is ( f(-5) ). This is ( f(-4.5) ). This is ( f(-4.1) ). This is ( f(-4.01) ). It looks like it's getting awfully close to a little bit more than 6. So it seems, as we get closer and closer to -4, the value of our function is approaching positive 6.

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Graphical limit where function undefined

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