Limit of as
The limit of as is .
How to work it out
- 1
We want what ((1 + x)^3 - 1) / x approaches as x → 0.
- 2
Direct substitution gives an indeterminate form: 0/0. It does not tell us the limit.
- 3
L'Hôpital's rule: when the form is 0/0, the limit equals the limit of the ratio of the derivatives.
- 4
Now substitute x = 0: the denominator is not 0 any more.
- 5
Method: the derivative of (1+x)^3 at 0 is 3.
- 6
Result:
LaTeX source of the formulas on this page
\[ \lim_{x \to 0} \frac{\left(1 + x\right)^{3} - 1}{x} = 3 \]
\[ \lim_{x \to 0} \frac{\left(1 + x\right)^{3} - 1}{x} \]
\[ \lim \frac{\left(1 + x\right)^{3} - 1}{x} = \lim \frac{3 \left(1 + x\right)^{2}}{1} \]
\[ \frac{3}{1} = 3 \]Values of ((1 + x)^3 - 1) / x as x → 0 (computed)
| x | f(x) | Distance from the limit |
|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | 3.3100000 | 3.10e-1 |
| -0.1 | 2.7100000 | 2.90e-1 |
| 0.01 | 3.0301000 | 3.01e-2 |
| -0.01 | 2.9701000 | 2.99e-2 |
| 0.001 | 3.0030010 | 3.00e-3 |
| -0.001 | 2.9970010 | 3.00e-3 |
| 0.0001 | 3.0003000 | 3.00e-4 |
| -0.0001 | 2.9997000 | 3.00e-4 |
| 0.00001 | 3.0000300 | 3.00e-5 |
| -0.00001 | 2.9999700 | 3.00e-5 |
Questions
What is the limit of ((1 + x)^3 - 1) / x as x approaches 0?
The limit of as is .
Which form is it?
0/0.