Friday, December 3, 2010

L'Hopital's Rule recap

The examples took all the time so let me recap when and how to use L'Hopital's Rule:

1.  Try to evaluate the limit. If the form is indeterminate, you may use L'Hopital's Rule

2.  Make sure the limit is written as a fraction (it must be in the 0/0 or infinity/infinity
     form).  You may have to rewrite the limit using logs or h = 1/x.

3.  Apply L'Hopital's Rule. Did you get a limit? Something undefined? You are done.

4.  Did you get another indeterminate form?  Apply L'Hopital's Rule again.

Remember that factoring, simplifying, applying other known limits and other limit techniques are always available.  Just because we are learning a new technique does not mean it is always the technique that can and should be used!

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