Define \(f\) by
\(f(u)=\begin{cases}4+(u-1)^2,&u\ne1,\\7,&u=1.\end{cases}\)
Thus \(\lim_{u\to1}f(u)=4\), but \(f(1)=7\).
Farah claims: “If \(g\) is continuous at \(0\) and \(g(0)=1\), then \(\lim_{x\to0}f(g(x))=4\) must follow.”
a) Is the claim guaranteed?
b) If not, construct two functions \(g_1\) and \(g_2\), both continuous at \(0\) with \(g_1(0)=g_2(0)=1\), such that \(\lim_{x\to0}f(g_1(x))=4\) but \(\lim_{x\to0}f(g_2(x))\ne4\).
c) Explain what feature of the inner function makes the two composite limits behave differently.
Hints
- Keep the value \(f(1)\) separate from the limiting value of \(f(u)\) as \(u\to1\).
- Continuity of \(g\) controls how close \(g(x)\) is to \(1\), but ask whether it controls equality with \(1\) at nearby inputs.
- Try contrasting an inner function that passes through \(1\) only at the target input with one that stays at \(1\) nearby.
Solution
1. The outer function has a removable discontinuity at \(u=1\): nearby values approach \(4\), but the value at \(1\) is \(7\).
2. Choose \(g_1(x)=1+x\). It is continuous at \(0\), equals \(1\) at \(0\), and for every nonzero \(x\), \(g_1(x)\ne1\). Therefore \(f(g_1(x))=4+x^2\) for \(x\ne0\), so its limit is \(4\).
3. Choose \(g_2(x)=1\). It is also continuous at \(0\) and equals \(1\) there, but now \(f(g_2(x))=f(1)=7\) for every \(x\). Its limit is \(7\), not \(4\).
4. Knowing only that \(g(x)\to1\) does not say whether nearby values of \(g(x)\) equal the exceptional input \(1\) repeatedly. Because \(f\) is not continuous at \(1\), that distinction can change the composite limit.
Answer
a) No.
b) One valid pair is \(g_1(x)=1+x\) and \(g_2(x)=1\). Then \(\lim_{x\to0}f(g_1(x))=4\), while \(\lim_{x\to0}f(g_2(x))=7\).
c) The difference is whether nearby outputs of the inner function avoid the exceptional input \(1\) or equal it. Since \(f(1)\ne\lim_{u\to1}f(u)\), that distinction matters for the composite.