2. Chapter 8 Indeterminate Forms and Improper Integrals 120
This is because
¡ ¡
f x £ ¤¢ f a ¢
f x ¢ ¡ f x ¢¢ ¡ ¡ f a f x ¢ ¢ ¡ ¢ ¡ ¡
f a x a limx £ x a a f a
¢ ¡§
(8.5) lim ¤ lim ¤ lim ¤ gx
¡
£
¡
ga
¤
x £ ag x ¢ ¡ x a £ gx ¢ ¡ ¢ ¡
ga x a £ gx ¢ ¡ ¢ ¡ ¢ ¡
ga x a limx a x £ ¤¢ ¢ g a
¢ ¡§
£ £ a
Each of these equalities can be justified using the hypotheses. It is important when using l’Hˆ pital’s rule
o
to make sure the hypotheses hold; otherwise (see example 8.4 below), we can get the wrong answer.
sin x
Example 8.1 lim ¤
x
x 0
£
Here the functions are differentiable and both zero at x ¤ 0, so l’Hˆ pital’s rule applies:
o
sin x cos x
(8.6) lim ¤ lim ¤ cos 0 ¤ ¢ ¡ 1
x 0 £ x x 0
£ 1
Of course this example is a fake, since we needed to validate this limit just to show the differentiability
of sin x.
sin 3x ¡ ¢
Example 8.2 lim ¤
x 0
£ 4x
Both numerator and denominator are 0 at x ¤ 0, so we can apply l’H (a convenient abbreviation for
l’Hˆ pital’s rule):
o
sin 3x ¡ ¢ lH 3 cos 3x ¡ ¢ 3
(8.7) lim ¤ ¥
lim ¤
x 0 £ 4x x 0
£ 4 4
x2 4x 5 ¦
Example 8.3 lim ¤
x 5 x 5 £
Here both numerator and denominator are zero, so l’H applies:
x2 4x 5 ¦ lH 2x 4
(8.8) lim ¤ ¥
lim ¤ 6
x 5 £ x 5 x 5
£ 1
Note that we could also have divided the numerator by the denominator, getting
x2 4x 5 ¦
(8.9) ¤ x ¦ 1
x 5
whose value at x ¤ 5 is 6.
x 2 ¦
Example 8.4 lim ¤
3x 1
x 0
£ ¦
Since neither the numerator nor denominator is zero at x 0, we can just substitute 0 for x, obtaining ¤
2 as the limit. Note that if we blindly apply l’Hˆ pital’s rule, we get the wrong answer, 1/3.
o
x3 3x 2 ¦
Example 8.5 lim ¤
x 2 tan π x
£ ¡ ¢
After checking that the hypotheses are satisfied, we get
x3 3x 2 ¦ lH 3x2 3 12 9 3
(8.10) lim ¤ ¥
lim ¤ ¤
x £ 2 tan π x ¡ ¢ x £ 2 π sec2 π x ¡ ¢ π π
4. Chapter 8 Indeterminate Forms and Improper Integrals 122
since cos x sin x is positive and tends to zero.. We leave it to the reader to verify that the limit from the
right is ∞.
¦
tan x
Example 8.8 lim ¤
x £ π
sec x
2 ¢
This example is here to remind us to simplify expressions, if possible, before proceeding. If we just
use l’Hopital’s rule directly, we get
tan x lH sec2 x sec x
(8.18) lim ¤ ¥
lim ¤ lim
π π π
¡
x £ 2 ¢
sec x x £ 2 ¢
sec x tan x x £ 2 ¢
tan x
which tells us that the sought-after limit is its own inverse, so is 1. We now conclude that since both
factors are positive to the left of π 2, then the answer is +1. But this would have all been easier to use
some trigonometry first:
tan x
(8.19) lim ¤ lim sin x ¤ 1
x £ π sec x x £ π
2 ¢ 2 ¢
xn
Example 8.9 lim ¤
x ¡ ∞ ex
¢£
Both factors are infinite at the limit, so l’Hopital’s rule applies. Let’s take the cases n ¤ 1 2 first:
¡
x lH 1
(8.20) lim ¤ ¥
lim ¤ 0
∞ ex ∞ ex
¡
x ¡ ££ x ¡ ££
x2 lH 2x lH 1
(8.21) lim ¤ ¥
lim ¤ ¥
2 lim ¤ 0
x ¡ ¢£ ∞ ex x ¡ ££ ∞ ex x ¡ ¢£ ∞ ex
We see that for a larger integer n, the same argument will work, but with n applications of l’Hˆ pital’s
o
rule. We say that the exponential function goes to infinity more rapidly than any polynomial.
x
Example 8.10 lim ¤
x ¡ ££ ∞ ln x
x 1
(8.22) lim ¤ lH
¥
lim lim x ∞
x ¡ ¢£ ∞ ln x x ¡ ££ ∞ 1 x ¡ ££ ¤ x ∞
¤ ¦
In particular, much as in example 8.9, one can show that polynomials grow more rapidly than any poly-
nomial in ln x.
8.2. Other Indeterminate Forms
Many limits may be calculated using l’Hˆ pital’s rule. For example: x 0 and ln x
o ∞ as x 0 from ¤ ¤ ¤
the right. Then what does x ln x do? This is called an indeterminate form of type 0 ∞, and we calculate ¥
it by just inverting one of the factors.
6. Chapter 8 Indeterminate Forms and Improper Integrals 124
8.3. Improper Integrals: Infinite Intervals
To introduce this section, let us calculate the area bounded by the x-axis, the lines x ¤ a x
¡ ¤ a and the
curve y 1 x2 1 . This is
¡ ¤ ¦ ¢ £
a dx a
(8.30)
2
¤ arctanx ¡ ¤ 2 arctana
£ a1 x ¦ ¡
£ a
¡
Since arctana is always less than π 2, this area is bounded no matter how large we choose a. In fact,
since lima ∞ arctana π 2, the area under the total curve y
£ ¤ 1 x2 1 adds up to 2 π 2
π We ¡ ¤ ¦ ¢ £
¤ ¢ ¡
can write this in the form
∞ dx
(8.31)
2
¤ π
∞1 x
¡
£ ¦
using the following definitions.
Definition 8.1 Suppose that f x is defined and continuous for all x ¢ ¡ ¢ c. We define
∞ a
(8.32) f x dx
¢ ¡ ¤ lim f x dx ¢ ¡
a ∞ c
c £
if the limit on the right exists. In this case we say the integral converges. If there is no limit on the right,
we say the integral diverges.
In the same way, if f x is defined and continuous in an interval x
¢ ¡ £ c, we define
c c
(8.33) f x dx
¢ ¡ ¤ lim f x dx
¢ ¡
∞ a
£ ∞ a £ £
if the limit exists.
Definition 8.2 Suppose that f x is defined and continuous for all x. Then ¢ ¡
∞ 0 ∞
(8.34)
f x dx ¢ ¡ ¤
f x dx ¢ ¡ ¦
f x dx
¢ ¡ ¡
£ ∞ £ ∞ 0
if both integrals on the right hand side exist according to definition 8.1.
Note that it is insufficient to define 8.34 by the limit lima ∞ a a f x dx, for this integral is always £ ¤
£ ¢ ¡
zero for an odd function, say f x x, and it would not be appropriate to say that such an integral
¤ ¢ ¡
converges.
∞
Example 8.16
e x dx
£
¤ 1
0
First we calculate the integral up to the positive number a:
a a 1
(8.35) e x dx
£
¤ e £ x
¤ 1
ea
¡
0 ¡
0
¡
Now, since e £ a ¤ 0 as a ¤ ∞, the limit exists and is 1.
∞
p
Example 8.17
x £
dx converges for p ¥ 1
1
7. 8.3 Improper Integrals: Infinite Intervals 125
We calculate the integral over a finite interval:
a 1 a 1
(8.36)
x £ p
dx ¤ x £ p 1 ¡ ¡
¤ a ¡ £
¡
p 1
1 ¢
1 p 1
¦ ¡
1 p 1 ¦
¡
Now, if p ¦ 1 0 a ¡
£
¤ ¡
p 1 0 as a ¤ ∞, so our conclusion is valid, and in fact
∞ dx 1
(8.37) ¤ for p 1
xp
¥
1 p 1
Also, if p 1 then p ¦ 1 ¥ 0, so a £ p 1 ¡ becomes infinite with a, and thus
∞ dx
(8.38) diverges for p 1
xp
1
The case p ¤ 1 cannot be handled this way, because then p ¦ 1 ¤ 0. But
dx ∞
Example 8.18 diverges
1 x
We calculate over a finite interval:
a dx a
(8.39)
¤ ln x ¡
¤ ln a ¡
1 x ¡
1
¡
which goes to infinity as a ¤ ∞.
Sometimes we can conclude that the improper integral converges, even though we cannot calculate
the actual limit. This is because of the following fact:
Theorem 8.1 Suppose that F is an increasing continuous function of x for all x c, and suppose that F ¢
is bounded; that is, there is a positive number M such that M F x for all x. Then lim x ∞ F x exists. ¢ ¢ ¡ £ ¢ ¡
This is an important theorem, known as the Monotone Convergence Theorem which is difficult to
prove rigorously. To see why it is reasonable at least, consider the least upper bound M0 of the set of
values F x . There must be values F x which come as close as we please to M0 , for if not, the values of
¢ ¡ ¢ ¡
F stay away from M0 , so this could not be the least upper bound. But now, because F is increasing, that
means that eventually all values come that close to M0 .
∞
x2
Example 8.19
e £
dx converges
1
In this range, x2 ¢ x, so e £ x2 £ e x . So, for any a,
£
a a
x2
(8.40)
e £
dx £
e x dx
£
£ 1
1 1
by example 8.16. Thus the values of the integral are bounded by 1. But since the function is always
positive, the integrals increase as a increases. Thus by Theorem 8.1, the limit exists.
This example generalizes to the following
Proposition 8.4 Suppose that f and g are continuous functions defined for all x ¢ c, and suppose that
for all x, 0 f x g x . Then
£ ¢ ¡ £ ¢ ¡
∞ ∞
a) If
g x dx converges, then
¢ ¡
f x dx converges.
¢ ¡
c c