Epsilon Delta Limit Definition 1

Introduction to the Epsilon Delta Definition of a Limit.

Let me draw a function
that would be interesting

to take a limit of.

And I'll just draw it visually
for now, and we'll do some

specific examples
a little later.

So that's my y-axis,
and that's my x-axis.

And let;s say the function
looks something like--

I'll make it a fairly
straightforward function

--let's say it's a line,
for the most part.

Let's say it looks just
like, accept it has a

hole at some point.

x is equal to a, so
it's undefined there.

Let me black that point
out so you can see that

it's not defined there.

And that point there
is x is equal to a.

This is the x-axis, this is
the y is equal f of x-axis.

Let's just say
that's the y-axis.

And let's say that this
is f of x, or this is

y is equal to f of x.

Now we've done a bunch
of videos on limits.

I think you have an
intuition on this.

If I were to say what is the
limit as x approaches a,

and let's say that this
point right here is l.

We know from our previous
videos that-- well first of all

I could write it down --the
limit as x approaches

a of f of x.

What this means intuitively is
as we approach a from either

side, as we approach it from
that side, what does

f of x approach?

So when x is here,
f of x is here.

When x is here, f
of x is there.

And we see that it's
approaching this l right there.

And when we approach a from
that side-- and we've done

limits where you approach from
only the left or right side,

but to actually have a limit it
has to approach the same thing

from the positive direction and
the negative direction --but as

you go from there, if you pick
this x, then this is f of x.

f of x is right there.

If x gets here then it goes
here, and as we get closer and

closer to a, f of x approaches
this point l, or this value l.

So we say that the limit
of f of x ax x approaches

a is equal to l.

I think we have that intuition.

But this was not very, it's
actually not rigorous at all

in terms of being specific
in terms of what we

mean is a limit.

All I said so far is as
we get closer, what does

f of x get closer to?

So in this video I'll attempt
to explain to you a definition

of a limit that has a little
bit more, or actually a lot

more, mathematical rigor than
just saying you know, as x gets

closer to this value, what
does f of x get closer to?

And the way I think about it's:
kind of like a little game.

The definition is, this
statement right here means that

I can always give you a range
about this point-- and when I

talk about range I'm not
talking about it in the whole

domain range aspect, I'm just
talking about a range like you

know, I can give you a distance
from a as long as I'm no

further than that, I can
guarantee you that f of x is go

it not going to be any further
than a given distance from l

--and the way I think about it
is, it could be viewed

as a little game.

Let's say you say, OK Sal,
I don't believe you.

I want to see you know, whether
f of x can get within 0.5 of l.

So let's say you give me 0.5
and you say Sal, by this

definition you should always
be able to give me a range

around a that will get f of
x within 0.5 of l, right?

So the values of f of x are
always going to be right in

this range, right there.

And as long as I'm in that
range around a, as long as I'm

the range around you give me, f
of x will always be at least

that close to our limit point.

Let me draw it a little bit
bigger, just because I think

I'm just overwriting the same
diagram over and over again.

So let's say that this is f of
x, this is the hole point.

There doesn't have to be a hole
there; the limit could equal

actually a value of the
function, but the limit is more

interesting when the function
isn't defined there

but the limit is.

So this point right here-- that
is, let me draw the axes again.

So that's x-axis, y-axis x,
y, this is the limit point

l, this is the point a.

So the definition of the limit,
and I'll go back to this in

second because now that it's
bigger I want explain it again.

It says this means-- and this
is the epsilon delta definition

of limits, and we'll touch on
epsilon and delta in a second,

is I can guarantee you that
f of x, you give me any

distance from l you want.

And actually let's
call that epsilon.

And let's just hit on
the definition right

from the get go.

So you say I want to be no more
than epsilon away from l.

And epsilon can just be any
number greater, any real

number, greater than 0.

So that would be, this distance
right here is epsilon.

This distance there is epsilon.

And for any epsilon you give
me, any real number-- so this

is, this would be l plus
epsilon right here, this would

be l minus epsilon right here
--the epsilon delta definition

of this says that no matter
what epsilon one you give me, I

can always specify a
distance around a.

And I'll call that delta.

I can always specify
a distance around a.

So let's say this is delta
less than a, and this

is delta more than a.

This is the letter delta.

Where as long as you pick an x
that's within a plus delta and

a minus delta, as long as the x
is within here, I can guarantee

you that the f of x, the
corresponding f of x is going

to be within your range.

And if you think about it
this makes sense right?

It's essentially saying, I can
get you as close as you want to

this limit point just by-- and
when I say as close as you

want, you define what you want
by giving me an epsilon; on

it's a little bit of a game
--and I can get you as close as

you want to that limit point by
giving you a range around the

point that x is approaching.

And as long as you pick an x
value that's within this range

around a, long as you pick an x
value around there, I can

guarantee you that f of x will
be within the range

you specify.

Just make this a little bit
more concrete, let's say you

say, I want f of x to be within
0.5-- let's just you know, make

everything concrete numbers.

Let's say this is the number 2
and let's say this is number 1.

So we're saying that the limit
as x approaches 1 of f of x-- I

haven't defined f of x, but it
looks like a line with the hole

right there, is equal to 2.

This means that you can
give me any number.

Let's say you want to try it
out for a couple of examples.

Let's say you say I want f of x
to be within point-- let me do

a different color --I want f
of x to be within 0.5 of 2.

I want f of x to be
between 2.5 and 1.5.

Then I could say, OK, as long
as you pick an x within-- I

don't know, it could be
arbitrarily close but as long

as you pick an x that's --let's
say it works for this function

that's between, I don't
know, 0.9 and 1.1.

So in this case the delta from
our limit point is only 0.1.

As long as you pick an x that's
within 0.1 of this point, or 1,

I can guarantee you that your
f of x is going to

lie in that range.

So hopefully you get a little
bit of a sense of that.

Let me define that with the
actual epsilon delta, and this

is what you'll actually see in
your mat textbook, and then

we'll do a couple of examples.

And just to be clear, that
was just a specific example.

You gave me one epsilon and I
gave you a delta that worked.

But by definition if this is
true, or if someone writes

this, they're saying it doesn't
just work for one specific

instance, it works for
any number you give me.

You can say I want to be within
one millionth of, you know, or

ten to the negative hundredth
power of 2, you know, super

close to 2, and I can always
give you a range around this

point where as long as you pick
an x in that range, f of x will

always be within this range
that you specify, within that

were you know, one trillionth
of a unit away from

the limit point.

And of course, the one thing
I can't guarantee is what

happens when x is equal to a.

I'm just saying as long as you
pick an x that's within my

range but not on a, it'll work.

Your f of x will show up to be
within the range you specify.

And just to make the math
clear-- because I've been

speaking only in words so far
--and this is what we see the

textbook: it says look, you
give me any epsilon

greater than 0.

Anyway, this is a
definition, right?

If someone writes this they
mean that you can give them any

epsilon greater than 0, and
then they'll give you a delta--

remember your epsilon is how
close you want f of x to be

to your limit point, right?

It's a range around f of x
--they'll give you a delta

which is a range
around a, right?

Let me write this.

So limit as approaches a
of f of x is equal to l.

So they'll give you a delta
where as long as x is no more

than delta-- So the distance
between x and a, so if we pick

an x here-- let me do another
color --if we pick an x here,

the distance between that value
and a, as long as one, that's

greater than 0 so that x
doesn't show up on top of a,

because its function might be
undefined at that point.

But as long as the distance
between x and a is greater

than 0 and less than this x
range that they gave you,

it's less than delta.

So as long as you take an x,
you know if I were to zoom the

x-axis right here-- this is a
and so this distance right here

would be delta, and this
distance right here would be

delta --as long as you pick an
x value that falls here-- so as

long as you pick that x value
or this x value or this x value

--as long as you pick one of
those x values, I can guarantee

you that the distance between
your function and the limit

point, so the distance between
you know, when you take one of

these x values and you evaluate
f of x at that point, that the

distance between that f of x
and the limit point is

going to be less than the
number you gave them.

And if you think of, it seems
very complicated, and I have

mixed feelings about where
this is included in most

calculus curriculums.

It's included in like the, you
know, the third week before you

even learn derivatives, and
it's kind of this very mathy

and rigorous thing to think
about, and you know, it tends

to derail a lot of students and
a lot of people I don't think

get a lot of the intuition
behind it, but it is

mathematically rigorous.

And I think it is very valuable
once you study you know, more

advanced calculus or
become a math major.

But with that said, this
does make a lot of sense

intuitively, right?

Because before we were talking
about, look you know, I can get

you as close as x approaches
this value f of x is going

to approach this value.

And the way we mathematically
define it is, you say Sal,

I want to be super close.

I want the distance to be
f of x [UNINTELLIGIBLE].

And I want it to be
0.000000001, then I can always

give you a distance around x
where this will be true.

And I'm all out of
time in this video.

In the next video I'll do some
examples where I prove the

limits, where I prove some
limit statements using

this definition.

And hopefully you know, when we
use some tangible numbers, this

definition will make a
little bit more sense.

See you in the next video.