Skip to content
Exercise 12.1 · Q5

Q.lim⁡x→−1x10+x5+1x−1\lim_{x\to -1}\dfrac{x^{10} + x^5 + 1}{x - 1}

CBSENCERTSubjective· 2mImportance★★★★★est
3% · 5/175 Questions
🔒 Locked · start free trial →

You're viewing a preview — the full solution, concept, methods & PYQ mapping are locked.

Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →

The key idea is that this is a limit of a polynomial — since the denominator does not vanish at x=−1x = -1, we can directly substitute x=−1x = -1 into the rational expression. The value is −12\boxed{-\frac{1}{2}}.

Why this works

When you see a limit like lim⁡x→aP(x)Q(x)\lim_{x\to a} \frac{P(x)}{Q(x)}, the first thing to check is whether Q(a)≠0Q(a) \neq 0. If it isn't zero, the function is continuous at x=ax = a, and the limit is simply P(a)Q(a)\frac{P(a)}{Q(a)}. That's the Limit of a Polynomial property: polynomials are continuous everywhere, so their limits are just their values.

Here, the denominator is x−1x - 1. At x=−1x = -1, we get (−1)−1=−2≠0(-1) - 1 = -2 \neq 0. No division by zero, no factoring tricks needed — just plug in.

Watch out

A common mistake is to assume every rational limit requires factoring or L'Hôpital's rule. That's only needed when the denominator is zero. Here, it's not, so substitution is valid and immediate.

Step-by-step

  1. Check the denominator at the limit point. x−1x - 1 at x=−1x = -1 gives (−1)−1=−2(-1) - 1 = -2, which is non-zero. So the function is continuous at x=−1x = -1. …

Unlock everything free for 14 days

  • Full step-by-step solutions
  • Concept-first explanations
  • Methods, shortcuts & mistakes
  • PYQ mapping + timed mock tests

Full access for 14 days. No credit card required.