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Ch. 2 - Limits
Briggs - Calculus: Early Transcendentals 3rd Edition
Briggs3rd EditionCalculus: Early TranscendentalsISBN: 9780136847243Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 2, Problem 48

Determine the following limits.
lim x→−∞ ex sin x

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1
Recognize that the problem involves finding the limit of the product of two functions as \( x \) approaches \(-\infty\).
Identify the two functions involved: \( e^x \) and \( \sin x \).
Recall that \( e^x \) approaches 0 as \( x \) approaches \(-\infty\).
Note that \( \sin x \) oscillates between -1 and 1 for all real \( x \).
Conclude that the product \( e^x \sin x \) approaches 0 as \( x \) approaches \(-\infty\) because \( e^x \) dominates the behavior of the product by approaching 0.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Limits at Infinity

Limits at infinity involve evaluating the behavior of a function as the input approaches positive or negative infinity. Understanding how functions behave in these scenarios is crucial for determining their limits, especially when dealing with exponential and trigonometric functions.
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Exponential Functions

Exponential functions, such as e^x, grow rapidly as x increases and approach zero as x decreases towards negative infinity. This characteristic is essential for analyzing the limit of e^x as x approaches negative infinity, which significantly influences the overall limit of the expression.
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Trigonometric Functions

Trigonometric functions like sin(x) oscillate between -1 and 1, regardless of the value of x. This periodic behavior means that while sin(x) does not converge to a single value, its bounded nature plays a critical role in determining the limit of the product e^x sin(x) as x approaches negative infinity.
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