Re: Limits of multi-var. functions
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg19897] Re: Limits of multi-var. functions
- From: "Kai G. Gauer" <gauer at sk.sympatico.ca>
- Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 18:47:42 -0400
- References: <7rsh34$3gf@smc.vnet.net> <7s1o5r$9l6@smc.vnet.net>
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
Paul Abbott wrote:
> Phil Mendelsohn wrote:
>
> > I suspect this is an easy question, but I'm not finding it in Help or a
> > couple of other Mathematica books I have around.
> >
> > If I want to find the limit of a function of several variables, how do I
> > do it? In the case of a polynomial function, I tried
> >
> > Limit[x^2 y^2 - 2x y^5 + 3y, {x->2, y->3}]
>
> The syntax you want is
>
> Limit[Limit[x^2*y^2 + 3*y - 2*x*y^5, x -> 2], y -> 3]
>
> or
>
> Limit[Limit[x^2*y^2 + 3*y - 2*x*y^5, y -> 3], x -> 2]
>
> both of which give you the same result.
>
Ok, but any student of mathematics would obviously know that it is NOT always
necessarily the case that:
lim[lim[f(x,y)]] <> lim[lim[f(x,y)]] <> lim [f(x,y)]
x=a y=b y=b x=a (x,y)=(a,b)
Can anyone modify Limit for multiple variables to do the right thing and
differentiate when to use which version of limit?
By the way, I can think of a lot of functions in which the first two equations
are the same, but by choosing another (aritrary) "path" to (a,b) gives an
answer of undefined/no limit.
> Cheers,
> Paul
>
> --
> ____________________________________________________________________
> Paul Abbott Phone: +61-8-9380-2734
> Department of Physics Fax: +61-8-9380-1014
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>
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