I have a problem with this exercise
Does this limit exist?
limx→0sgn(x)
this limit should exist and its value is 0 according to our textbook. It is also written, that we can prove it by using one-sided limits.
And there is a problem, because as I see it
limx→0−sgn(x)=−1
limx→0+sgn(x)=1
(Because the limit goes very close to 0, but it never reaches it. I also think it is very similar to prove of non-existence limx→0sin1x)
I also tried online limit calculators and they said, that one-sided limits equals 0.
Could you help me find a problem in my approach?
Thanks for your time!
Answer
If the book says the limit is 0, then it is wrong.
If limx→0+ and limx→0− both exist (as finite numbers) and are not equal to each other, then limx→0 does not exist.
In some contexts, it might make sense to say it exists as a "principal value", taking an average: 12(limx→0++limx→0−), but that is not what is conventionally done when the concept of limit is first introduced, and I would allow is only when the context for it has been explicitly set.
No comments:
Post a Comment