MA 123

Problems for Week  3

September 22, 2005

 

Your work on these problems will be collected in section on Tuesday, September 27.

 

Problems for September 20.  Sec. 2.3:  Probs.  6; 8; 9; 12; 13; 17; 19; 23; 25; 26; 27; 40..

                                                  Sec. 2.4:  Probs  1; 3; 4; 8; 11; 12; 23; 27; 33; 35; 44.

 

Problems for September 22. Sec. 2.4:  Probs  23; 27; 33; 35; 44.

                                                  Sec. 2.5:  Probs.  4; 5; 6; 10a,b; 16; 19; 20; 22.

 

EXTRA CREDIT:  Some food for thought

1.  The definition of limit on page101 of the text is incomplete.   Explain why and salvage the definition.

2.  The popular parlor game Take it to the Limit is played with two players.  The first player is called Epsilon and the second player is called Delta. The game is played with a deck of cards called center>

1.  Delta begins by turning over the top Challenge card.  Both players make a mental note      the information on the card: f(x), a, and L.

2.  Epsilon calls out a positive real number and declares that to be the value of e.

3.  Delta calls out another positive real number and declares that to be the value of d.

4.  Epsilon calls out a real number and declares that to be x.

Who wins? Once the above four 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt'>

a. x is not equal to a;

b. | x a | < d;

c. | f(x) – L |  >= e.

Otherwise, Delta is the winner.

A Sample Round. Suppose the first Challenge card shows the function f(x) = x2, and the numbers a = 2, and L = 5.  Epsilon calls out e = .5, then Delta calls out d = .02.  Finally, Epsilon calls out x = 2.01.  Who wins?  To answer this we consider the conditions (a), (b), (c) above.  Since x = 2.01 and a = 2 we have x is not equal to a, so the condition (a) is true.  Moreover, since | x - a | = | 2.01 – 2 |  = .01 and since d = .02 we have | x – a | < d, so condition (b) is also true.  Finally, we consider condition (c). We calculate f(x) = (2.01)2 = 4.0401, so since L = 5 we have | f(x) L | = .9599 which is greater than .5, the value of e.  Hence condition (c) is also satisfied.  Thus all three conditions are satisfied and Epsilon is declared the winner of the round.

Questions. Analyze the game of  Take It To The Limit to decide who, if anyone, has a winning strategy.  For example, in the above sample round, does Epsilon have a winning strategy?  What if we change L from L=5 to L=4?  Now who has the winning strategy?  For any given Challenge card, how can you decide who has a winning strategy?  (Hint:  Read carefully the formal

definition of limit (correctly!) given in Appendix D starting on page A33 of the book.)

 

Note:  The above section numbers refer to our textbook:  Calculus: Concepts and Contexts, (Third Edition),  by James Stewart,  Brooks/Cole Publishing Company; 2005.