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Re: Limits and Direction

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg93828] Re: Limits and Direction
• From: Szabolcs Horvát <szhorvat at gmail.com>
• Date: Wed, 26 Nov 2008 07:21:59 -0500 (EST)
• Organization: University of Bergen
• References: <ggj7l1$jad$1@smc.vnet.net>

stpatryck wrote:
> Fellow Mathematica Users:
> 
> Why is it that when using the Limit[ ] function, Direction -> 1
> indicates a left hand limit?  This really seems counterintuitive.
> 

Because in mathematics the usual convention is to indicate a left to 
right direction with a positive number.  The number line is oriented 
from left to right, a function with a positive derivative is increasing, 
not decreasing, a vector with components (1,0,0) is the positive 
direction along the x axis, etc.

> Is there a way to switch it?
> 

No.