Module

1
Introduction, Function and
Limits with Derivatives

CC
Module Outline
 Function
 Domain and Range
 Limits and Continuity
of Function
 Derivatives (Long
Method)

Engineering, Sciences and Architecture are greatly involve the

study of the relationship between varying quantities. Mathematician
use the term function to describe one such relation and calculus was
used to develop theories to solve practical problems involving
continuously changing quantities such as time, distance, force,
temperature, voltage, etc.
Calculus is a branch of Mathematics on which the concept of
limit plays a central role. Two of its subdivisions are Differential
Calculus and Integral Calculus. Differential Calculus was developed in
1600’s by ISAAC NEWTON AND GOTTFRIED LEIBNIZ to answer the
problem of finding the rate at which a known but varying quantity
changes at any instant. It is based on the concept of the derivatives as
the limit of the average rate of change of a function.
Calculus derived from the latin word for stone or pebble. In
ancient times, pebbles were used for counting. Thus calculees roughly
means a “method of calculation.”

Function

Function is a set of ordered pairs of numbers (x, y) in which no

two distinct ordered pairs have the same first number.

Characteristic of a Function
1. Each element in the domain A must be matched with an element in
the range, which is contained in set B.
2. Some elements in the set B may not be matched with any element
in the domain A.
3. Two or more elements of the domain may be matched with the same
element in the range.
4. No element of the domain may be matched with two different
elements in the range.

This means that no vertical line can meet the graph of a function in
more than one point. This is called vertical line test.

Example 1:

X1  y1 x1
X2  y2 y1 Mapping
X3  y3 x2
C={ (0, 1), (1, 3), (2, 5), (3, 7) } Order pairs

Vertical line test

Example 2: Determine the domain and range

a. D = {(x, y)| y = x2 }

Domain D = set of all real numbers

Range D = {y|y ε R, y less than or equal to 0}

Evaluation of a Function
If the function is said to be evaluated for a particular value of x,
then x is replaced by that value within each set of parentheses.

Example 3: Evaluate the function y = 7x2 + 3x – 1 for x = -5, 0 and 5

Solutions:

f(x) = 7x2 + 3x – 1
f(-5) = 7 (-5)2 + 3(-5) – 1 = 159
f(0) = 7 (0)2 + 3(0) – 1 = -1
f(5) = 7 (5)2 + 3(5) – 1 = 189

Opration of Functions

Let f and g be any two functions. The functions f + g, f – g, f*g,

and f/g are defined as follows:
 1. Sum (f + g)(x) = f(x) + f(g)
2. Difference (f – g)(x) = f(x) – f(g)
3. Product (f*g)(x) = f(x) * f(g)
4. Quotient (f/g)(x) = f(x) / g(x) , g(x) not equal to 0

Example 4: If f(x) = 2x – 8 and g(x) = 4 – 3x, then

a. (f + g)(x) = f(x) + g(x) = (2x – 8) + (4 – 3x) = -x - 4
b. (f – g)(x) = f(x) – g(x) = (2x – 8) – (4 – 3x) = 5x - 12
c. (f * g)(x) = f(x) * g(x) = (2x – 8)(4 – 3x) = -6x2 + 32x – 32
d. (f/g)(x) = f(x) / g(x) = 2x – 8/4 – 3x

Composition of Functions
The composition of two functions can be thought of as a “chain
reaction.” In which the functions occur one after the other.
Let f and g be any two functions. The composition of g by f is the
function f o g defined by
(f o g)(x) = f(g(x))
The domain of the composition function f o g is the set of all
values of x in the domain of g such that g(x) belong to the domain of f.

Example 5: If f(x) = x2 and g(x) = 4 – 3x, then find the f o g and g o f

(f o g)(x) = f(g(x))
= f(4 – 3x)2
= 16 – 24x + x2

(g o f)(x) = g(f(x))
= g(x2)
= 4 – 3x2

Limit of Function
X 1.500 1.890 1.999 2.009 2.050 2.160 2.300
f(x) 5.500 6.670 6.997 7.027 7.150 7.480 7.900

Consider the function defined by equation, f(x) = 3x + 1 and

assign some values to x near, but not equal to a specific number, say
2. For each value of x in the neighborhood of 2, we compute the
corresponding values of y .
With the use of table, we could get an idea of what is
happening. . .

The table shows that as x approaches 2, the equation 3x + 1

approaches the number 7 as a limit.
The abbreviated symbolic form:
3 x+ 1→ 7 as x → 2
Or we may also say that “the limit of 3x as x approaches 2 is 7” in
symbol we write this as
lim ( 3 x +1 )=7
x →2

Definition: Let f(x) be any function and let a and L be real numbers, if
we can make f(x) as close to L as pleased by choosing x sufficiently
close to a then we say that the limit of f(x) as x approaches a is L or
symbolically
lim f ( x )=L
x→ a

Theorem on Limits
To evaluate of to find lim f(x) means that xa, we are to find
number L that f(x) is near whenever x is near a but not equal to a.
Ofcourse, when x = a, the value of the function is f(a). It may be that
f(a) is also the limit.
i.e.
 L = f(a)

Limit 1: lim c=c ; c is any constant

x→ a

Limit 2: lim x =a ; any real numbers

x→ a

Limit 3: lim c f ( x )=c lim f (x )

x→ a x →a

Limit 4: lim [ f ( x ) ± g ( x ) ] =lim f ( x ) ± lim g ( x )

x→ a x→a x →a

Limit 5: lim [ f ( x )∗g ( x ) ]=lim f ( x )∗lim g( x )

x→ a x →a x →a
lim f (x )
f ( x ) x→ a
Limit 6: lim =
x→ a g( x ) lim g( x)
x →a

Limit 7:
x→ a √
lim f ( x ) = lim f (x) where n = any positive integer and f(x) > 0
√ x→a

if n is even.
Limit 8: lim [f ( x ) ]n=¿ ¿ ¿
x→ a

2
Example 6: Evaluate lim ( x +3 x +4 )
x →2
2
= lim
x →2
x + lim 3 x + lim 4
x →2 x →2
2
= lim x +3 lim x+ 4
[ ]
x→ 2 x →2

= [ 2 ] +3 ( 2 ) + 4
2

= 14

Limit of Infinity

A function f(x) may have a finite limit even when the independent
variable x becomes infinite. This statement “ x becomes infinite” is
customarily expressed in symbol:
1
“ x ∞, “ consider again the function f ( x )=
x.
It can shown that 1/x as approaches a finite limit (the number
1
zero) as x approaches without bound. That is →0 as x → ∞,Therefore we
x
shall have an additional theorem on limits:

1
lim =0
x→ ∞ x
 1

( )
∗1
x
Example 7: Evaluate ∗1 = 0
1 x
lim 3 = lim
x→ ∞ x x →∞ x

N (x ) ∞
A function f ( x )= may assume the indeterminate form when
D(x ) ∞
x is replaced by ∞. However, the limit of f(x) as x becomes infinite may
be definite. To find this limit, we first divide N(x) and D(x) by the
highest power of x.

4 x 3 +3 x 2−6
Example 8: Evaluate lim
x→ ∞ 2 x3 +5 x +3

Solution: Divide each term of numerator and denominator by the

highest exponent of the given variable

3 6
4+ − 3
x x 4 +0−0
= = =2
5 3 2+ 0+0
2+ 2 + 3
x x

Derivatives

The link will of video will be followed

Derivative of a Function
Given a continuous function y = f(x), let P (x, y) be a fixed point
and Q (x + ∆x, y + ∆y) be a moving point on graph of the function.

(Refer to figure 1) to be followed

Connecting the points P and Q from the secant line PQ with slope
∆y
equal to . As Q moves along the curve towards P, ∆x  0 and the
∆x
∆y
ratio approaches a limit, which is equal to the slope of the tangent
∆x
line at P.
Definition
∆y
The lim is called the derivative of the function y = f(x) with
x →0 ∆ x
dy
respect to x and is denoted by the symbol
dx

dy ∆y
=lim
dx x→ 0 ∆ x
d
Other symbols y’, f’(x), f ( x) ,Dx y
dx

Determination of the derivative

The 4-step rule of the increment method

Step 1: Replace x by x + ∆x and y by y + ∆y

Step 2: Solve for ∆y

∆y = f(x + ∆x) – f(x)

Step 3: By some suitable transformation, change the right member of

the equation in step 2 into a form which contains ∆x explicitly as a
factor and divide through by ∆x

∆ y f ( x+ ∆ x ) ∆−f ( x)
=
∆x ∆x

dy ∆y f ( x+ ∆ x ) −f (x )
Step 4: =lim =lim
dx x→ 0 ∆ x x →0 ∆x

Example 9: Find the derivative of y=x 2, using 4-step rule

Step 1:
y=x 2

y +∆ y =(x +∆ x )2

2 2
y +∆ y =x +2 x ∆ x+ ( ∆ x )

Step 2:
∆ y =x 2+2 x ∆ x+ ( ∆ x )2− y
 ∆ y =x 2+2 x ∆ x+ ( ∆ x )2−x 2

∆ y =2 x ∆ x + ( ∆ x )2

Step 3:
2
∆ y =2 x ∆ x + ( ∆ x )

∆ y ∆ x (2 x +∆ x )
=
∆x ∆x

∆y
=2 x+ ∆ x
∆x

Step 4:
lim (2 x + ∆ x )
∆ x→ 0

¿ 2 x+0

=2x
Prepared by

Miss Maria Luz A. Santos, MSME