Calculus 10th Edition

Published by Brooks Cole
ISBN 10: 1-28505-709-0
ISBN 13: 978-1-28505-709-5

Chapter 13 - Functions of Several Variables - 13.2 Exercises - Page 887: 16

Answer

The limit is $$\lim_{(x,y)\to(1,1)}\frac{x}{\sqrt{x+y}}=\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}.$$ The function is discontinuous on the line $x+y=0$.

Work Step by Step

We will calculate this limit by a simple substitution $$\lim_{(x,y)\to(1,1)}\frac{x}{\sqrt{x+y}}=\frac{1}{\sqrt{1+1}}=\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}.$$ The expression under the square root must not be negative and the whole denominator must not be zero so we have $x+y\geq0$ and $\sqrt{x+y}\neq0\Rightarrow x+y\neq0.$ This put together gives $x+y>0$. In every ordered pair $(x_0,y_0)$ such that $x_0+y_0>0$ the function is continuous because we can always substitute and get $$\lim_{(x,y)\to(x_0,y_0)}\frac{x}{\sqrt{x+y}}=\frac{x_0}{\sqrt{x_0+y_0}}.$$ However, when $x_0+y_0$=0, the denominator is zero, and since we cannot divide by zero we have $$\lim_{(x,y)\to(x_0,y_0)}\frac{x}{\sqrt{x+y}}\neq\frac{x_0}{\sqrt{x_0+y_0}}$$ so the function has a discontinuity on a line $x+y=0$,
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