High School Math : Finding One-Sided Limits

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for High School Math

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Finding One Sided Limits

Let .

Find .

Possible Answers:

The limit does not exist.

Correct answer:

Explanation:

1overx

This is a graph of . We know that  is undefined; therefore, there is no value for . But as we take a look at the graph, we can see that as  approaches 0 from the left,  approaches negative infinity. 

This can be illustrated by thinking of small negative numbers.

NOTE: Pay attention to one-sided limit specifications, as it is easy to pick the wrong answer choice if you're not careful. 

 is actually infinity, not negative infinity. 

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