Wednesday, 27 December 2017

limits - Does limlimitsxto0operatornamesgn(x) exist?



I have a problem with this exercise



Does this limit exist?




limx0sgn(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



limx0sgn(x)=1



limx0+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 limx0sin1x)




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 limx0+ and limx0 both exist (as finite numbers) and are not equal to each other, then limx0 does not exist.




In some contexts, it might make sense to say it exists as a "principal value", taking an average: 12(limx0++limx0), 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.


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