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In mathematics, a limit is the value that a function (or sequence) approaches as the argument (or index) approaches some value. [1] Limits of functions are essential to calculus and mathematical analysis, and are used to define continuity, derivatives, and integrals.
In principle, the derivative of a function can be computed from the definition by considering the difference quotient and computing its limit. Once the derivatives of a few simple functions are known, the derivatives of other functions are more easily computed using rules for
This definition allows a limit to be defined at limit points of the domain S, if a suitable subset T which has the same limit point is chosen. Notably, the previous two-sided definition works on int S ∪ iso S c , {\displaystyle \operatorname {int} S\cup \operatorname {iso} S^{c},} which is a subset of the limit points of S .
In calculus, the quotient rule is a method of finding the derivative of a function that is the ratio of two differentiable functions. Let () = (), where both f and g are differentiable and ()
We again calculate the derivative of the cosine function from the limit definition: ... Using the limit for the tangent function, and the fact that tan ...
Calculus is of vital importance in physics: many physical processes are described by equations involving derivatives, called differential equations. Physics is particularly concerned with the way quantities change and develop over time, and the concept of the " time derivative " — the rate of change over time — is essential for the precise ...
In these limits, the infinitesimal change is often denoted or .If () is differentiable at , (+) = ′ ().This is the definition of the derivative.All differentiation rules can also be reframed as rules involving limits.
This limit can be viewed as a continuous version of the second difference for sequences. However, the existence of the above limit does not mean that the function has a second derivative. The limit above just gives a possibility for calculating the second derivative—but does not provide a definition.