Calculus 10th Edition

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

Chapter 8 - Integration Techniques, L'Hopital's Rule, and Improper Integrals - 8.7 Exercises - Page 565: 73

Answer

$$\mathop {\lim }\limits_{x \to \infty } \frac{{{{\left( {\ln x} \right)}^n}}}{{{x^m}}} = 0$$

Work Step by Step

$$\eqalign{ & \mathop {\lim }\limits_{x \to \infty } \frac{{{{\left( {\ln x} \right)}^n}}}{{{x^m}}} \cr & {\text{Evaluate the limit when }}x \to \infty \cr & \mathop {\lim }\limits_{x \to \infty } \frac{{{{\left( {\ln x} \right)}^2}}}{{{x^3}}} = \frac{{{{\left( {\ln \infty } \right)}^n}}}{{{{\left( \infty \right)}^3}}} = \frac{\infty }{\infty } \cr & {\text{Use L'Hopital's Rule}} \cr & \mathop {\lim }\limits_{x \to \infty } \frac{{{{\left( {\ln x} \right)}^n}}}{{{x^m}}} = \mathop {\lim }\limits_{x \to \infty } \frac{{\frac{d}{{dx}}\left[ {{{\left( {\ln x} \right)}^n}} \right]}}{{\frac{d}{{dx}}\left[ {{x^m}} \right]}} = \mathop {\lim }\limits_{x \to \infty } \frac{{n{{\left( {\ln x} \right)}^{n - 1}}}}{{m{x^{m - 1}}}}\left( {\frac{1}{x}} \right) \cr & = \mathop {\lim }\limits_{x \to \infty } \frac{{n{{\left( {\ln x} \right)}^{n - 1}}}}{{m{x^m}}} = \frac{\infty }{\infty } \cr & {\text{Use L'Hopital's Rule}} \cr & = \mathop {\lim }\limits_{x \to \infty } \frac{{\frac{d}{{dx}}\left[ {n{{\left( {\ln x} \right)}^{n - 1}}} \right]}}{{\frac{d}{{dx}}\left[ {m{x^m}} \right]}} = \mathop {\lim }\limits_{x \to \infty } \frac{{n\left( {n - 1} \right){{\left( {\ln x} \right)}^{n - 2}}}}{{{m^2}{x^{m - 1}}}}\left( {\frac{1}{x}} \right) \cr & = \mathop {\lim }\limits_{x \to \infty } \frac{{n\left( {n - 1} \right){{\left( {\ln x} \right)}^{n - 2}}}}{{{m^2}{x^m}}} \cr & = \mathop {\lim }\limits_{x \to \infty } \frac{{\frac{d}{{dx}}\left[ {n\left( {n - 1} \right){{\left( {\ln x} \right)}^{n - 2}}} \right]}}{{\frac{d}{{dx}}\left[ {{m^2}{x^m}} \right]}} \cr & = \mathop {\lim }\limits_{x \to \infty } \frac{{n\left( {n - 1} \right)\left( {n - 2} \right){{\left( {\ln x} \right)}^{n - 3}}}}{{{m^3}{x^m}}} \cr & {\text{If we continue L'Hopital's rule indefinitely we obtain}} \cr & = \mathop {\lim }\limits_{x \to \infty } \frac{{n!}}{{{m^n}{x^n}}} \cr & {\text{Recall that }}n\left( {n - 1} \right)\left( {n - 2} \right)\left( {n - 3} \right) \cdots = n! \cr & {\text{Therefore,}} \cr & \mathop {\lim }\limits_{x \to \infty } \frac{{n!}}{{{m^n}{x^n}}} = \frac{{n!}}{\infty } = 0 \cr} $$
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