Calculus (3rd Edition)

Published by W. H. Freeman
ISBN 10: 1464125260
ISBN 13: 978-1-46412-526-3

Chapter 15 - Differentiation in Several Variables - 15.2 Limits and Continuity in Several Variables - Exercises - Page 772: 18

Answer

$\lim_{(x,y)\to (0,0) }f(x,y)=0$ $\lim_{(x,y)\to (0,0) }g(x,y)$ does not exist

Work Step by Step

Let $x=r\cos \theta $, $y=r\sin \theta $, then \begin{align*} \lim_{(x,y)\to (0,0) }f(x,y)&=\lim_{(x,y)\to (0,0) }\frac{x^3}{x^2+y^2}\\ &=\lim_{r\to 0} \frac{r^3\cos^3\theta}{r^2\cos^2\theta+ r^2\sin^2\theta}\\ &= \lim_{r\to 0} \frac{r^3\cos^3\theta}{r^2 }\\ &= \lim_{r\to 0} r \cos^3\theta \\ &=0 \end{align*} and \begin{align*} \lim_{(x,y)\to (0,0) }g(x,y)&=\lim_{(x,y)\to (0,0) }\frac{x^2}{x^2+y^2}\\ &=\lim_{r\to 0} \frac{r^2\cos^2\theta}{r^2\cos^2\theta+ r^2\sin^2\theta}\\ &= \lim_{r\to 0} \frac{r^2\cos^2\theta}{r^2 }\\ &= \lim_{r\to 0} \cos^2\theta \\ &=0 \end{align*} Since $\lim_{(x,y)\to (0,0) }g(x,y) $ depends on theta, then $\lim_{(x,y)\to (0,0) }g(x,y)$ does not exist.
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