Thomas' Calculus 13th Edition

Published by Pearson
ISBN 10: 0-32187-896-5
ISBN 13: 978-0-32187-896-0

Chapter 2: Limits and Continuity - Section 2.6 - Limits Involving Infinity; Asymptotes of Graphs - Exercises 2.6 - Page 98: 79

Answer

The graph can have one horizontal asymptote at most.

Work Step by Step

When calculating $\displaystyle \lim_{x\rightarrow\pm\infty}\frac{f(x)}{g(x)}$, then we know that the limit exists if (the degree of g) $\geq$ (the degree of f), in which case we will divide the numerator and denominator with $x^n$, the highest power of x in the expression. If g has a greater degree than f, the limit is zero, whether $ x\rightarrow\infty$ or $ x\rightarrow-\infty$ If the degrees are equal, the limit is the quotient of leading coefficients, whether $ x\rightarrow\infty$ or $ x\rightarrow-\infty$ In either case, only one limit is possible, so the graph can have one horizontal asymptote.
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