How do you prove the statement lim as x approaches 4 for (7 – 3x) = -5 using the epsilon and delta definition?

1 Answer
Oct 7, 2015

See the explanation section below.

Explanation:

Our preliminary work

We need to show that, given any positive edpsilon, there is a delta (also positive) that guarantees that if x is chosen so that

0 < abs(x-4) < delta, then we will also have abs((7-3x)-(-5))< epsilon.

Let's look at the thing we need to make less than epsilon.

abs((7-3x)-(-5)) = abs(7-3x+5)

= abs(12-3x)

Because we say how to find delta, that means we control the sive of abs(x-4)

Not that if we factor out a -, we can get

abs((7-3x)-(-5)) = abs(12-3x) = abs(-3(x-4))

= abs(-3)abs(x-4) = 3abs(x-4)

We have found that abs((7-3x)-(-5)) which we want to make less that epsilon, is equal to 3abs(x-4), which is 3 times the thing we control.

If we make abx(x-4) < epsilon/4, that will work.

Now we need to present ourwokr as a proof.

Proof

Given epsilon > 0, choose delta = epsilon/4. Now if x is chosen so that 0 < abs(x-4) < delta, then we have

abs((7-3x)-(-5)) = abs(12-3x) = abs(-3)abs(x-4)

= 3abs(x-4) < 3 delta = 3(epsilon/3) = epsilon..

That is, abs((7-3x)-(-5)) < epsilon..

**Note that **
near the middle we used, without mention, the fact that

abs(x-4) < delta implies that 3abs(x-4) < 3delta.