find the limit x => o from (tan x - x)/(x - sin x)
in Calculus Answers by

Your answer

Your name to display (optional):
Privacy: Your email address will only be used for sending these notifications.
Anti-spam verification:
To avoid this verification in future, please log in or register.

1 Answer

(tanx-x)/(x-sinx)=(sinx-xcosx)/(xcosx-sinxcosx). As x approaches 0 the expression approaches 2. Why?

To find out, let's use some calculus. Let's suppose that sinx=a[0]+a[1]x+a[2]x^2+a[3]x^3+...+a[n]x^n, a polynomial series in x, with real coefficients a[0], etc. We are going to use a value for x<1 so the series would converge. When x=0, sinx=0 so a[0]=0.

The derivative of sinx is cosx, so cosx=a[1]+2a[2]x+3a[3]x^2+...+na[n]x^(n-1).

When x=0 cosx=1, so a[1]=1 and sinx=x+a[2]x^2+...

The second derivative of sinx is -sinx=2a[2]+6a[3]x+... When x=0, sinx=0, so 2a[2]=0 and a[2]=0 and sinx becomes x+a[3]x^3. Moving on to the next derivative which is -cosx we have 6a[3]+... But -cosx when x=0 is -1, so a[3]=-1/6, making sinx=x-x^3/6+...

We could keep on going through more derivatives, but it's not necessary because we can establish right now what x-sinx tends to as x approaches zero; x-sinx=x^3/6.

Now, let tanx=b[0]+b[1]x+b[2]x^2+... just like we did with sinx. We can see that b[0]=0 because tanx=0 when x=0.

The first derivative of tanx=sec^2x=b[1]+2b[2]x+3b[3]x^2+... secx is the reciprocal of cosx which is 1 when x=0, so b[1], like a[1], is 1 and tanx=x+b[2]x^2. The derivative of sec^2x is the derivative of cos^-2x=-2cos-3x*(-sinx)=2tanxsec^2x=0, when x=0, making b[2]=0. We need to go to the next derivative to find b[3]. But 2tanxsec^2x=2tanx(1+tan^2x)=2tanx+2tan^3x, which differentiates to 2sec^2x+6tan^2xsec^2x, and this derivative is 2 when x=0. Therefore 2=6b[3] and b[3]=1/3 and tanx-x=x^3/3. So the limit as x approaches zero of (tanx-x)/(x-sinx)=(x^3/3)/(x^3/6)=2.

 

by Top Rated User (1.2m points)

Related questions

1 answer
asked Sep 29, 2021 in Calculus Answers by anonymous | 937 views
1 answer
1 answer
asked Oct 21, 2022 in Calculus Answers by Ash | 478 views
1 answer
1 answer
asked Apr 11, 2013 in Calculus Answers by anonymous | 1.9k views
0 answers
1 answer
asked May 2, 2019 in Calculus Answers by anonymous | 504 views
Welcome to MathHomeworkAnswers.org, where students, teachers and math enthusiasts can ask and answer any math question. Get help and answers to any math problem including algebra, trigonometry, geometry, calculus, trigonometry, fractions, solving expression, simplifying expressions and more. Get answers to math questions. Help is always 100% free!
87,516 questions
100,279 answers
2,420 comments
731,797 users