One-Sided Limits

What is One-Sided Limits?

One-sided limit is a type of limit that describes how a function behaves as the input approaches a given value from one side only. This is different from a standard limit, which describes how a function behaves as the input approaches a value from both sides.

One-sided limits are often used to describe how a function behaves at points where it is not defined or is not continuous. For example, if a function has a "jump" or a "break" at a certain point, the one-sided limits of the function at that point will be different depending on which side of the point the input is approaching from.

Mathematically, a one-sided limit of a function $f(x)$ at a point a is defined as follows:

$$ \lim_{x \to a^-} f(x) = L $$

This equation states that the one-sided limit of the function $f(x)$ at the point a from the left (i.e., as x approaches a from values less than a) is equal to the value L. Similarly, the one-sided limit of the function at the point a from the right can be written as follows:

$$ \lim_{x \to a^+} f(x) = L $$

This equation states that the one-sided limit of the function $f(x)$ at the point a from the right (i.e., as $x$ approaches a from values greater than a) is equal to the value L.

  • If the one-sided limits from both sides are equal, then the function is considered continuous at the point a.
  • If the one-sided limits from both sides are not equal, then the function is considered discontinuous means the Limit doesn't exists.

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