Q.
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →The limit of a rational function where both numerator and denominator are polynomials can be found by direct substitution if the denominator is non-zero at the limit point. Here, substituting gives , provided . The value is .
The key idea is that when you have a limit of a polynomial divided by another polynomial, and the denominator doesn't vanish at the point you're approaching, you can simply plug in the value. This works because polynomials are continuous functions — their graphs have no jumps or holes at any real number.
Here, both the numerator and the denominator are polynomials in . At , the denominator becomes . The problem explicitly tells us , so the denominator is non-zero at . That means the rational function is continuous at , and the limit equals the function's value there.
Let's walk through it step by step.
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Identify the form of the limit.
We have . Both numerator and denominator are quadratic polynomials. There's no or situation here because the denominator at is , which is given to be non-zero.
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Apply direct substitution.
Since the denominator is non-zero at , the limit is simply the value of the fraction at :
- Simplify the fraction. Because , we can cancel the common factor:
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