The Purplemath Forums

What is the difference between a limit and a derivative? I had previously thought they were the same thing, but certain problems, like the following make me think twice: f(x) = x^2 - 5x - 2 For the above function, if I look for the limit using an intuitive method, such as looking at what y-value the...

How are you taking the limit? :wink: I am looking at the values of y as x approaches 3 using the table function on a Ti-83 graphing calculator. From the left and right, the function seems to approach -8 at a uniform rate around x=3. Based on what I've been taught so far about limits, that should ma...