Recently I took a test where I was given these two limits to evaluate:
lim and \lim_\limits{h \to 0}\frac{\cos(x+h)-\cos{(x)}}{h}. I used sine and cosine addition formulas and found the value of each limit individually, eventually canceling out \sin x\cdot \frac1h and \cos x\cdot \frac1h because I learned that we can evaluate limits piece by piece. As a result, I got \cos x and -\sin x as my two answers. However, my teacher marked it wrong saying that we cannot cancel \sin{x}\cdot\frac1h or \cos{x}\cdot\frac1h because those limits do not exist. Can someone please explain why this doesn't work? I thought that we can cancel those limits out since we never look at 0, just around 0, when evaluating these two limits.
Sine: \frac{\sin(x+h)-\sin(x)}h=\frac{\sin(x)\cos(h)+\sin(h)\cos(x)}h-\frac{\sin(x)}h
=\sin(x)\frac1h+\cos(x)-\sin(x)\frac1h=\cos(x)
Cosine: \frac{\cos(x+h)-\cos(x)}h=\frac{\cos(x)\cos(h)-\sin(x)\sin(h)}h-\cos(x)\frac1h
=\cos(x)\frac1h-\sin(x)\cdot1-\cos(x)\frac1h=-\sin(x)
Note: I am allowed to assume \lim_\limits{x\to 0} \frac{\sin(h)}h=1,\lim_\limits{x\to 0} \frac{\cos(h)-1}h=0.
Answer
You broke up the limits incorrectly. That can be done only when the individual limits exist. \color{red}{\lim_\limits{h \to 0} \frac{\sin x}{h}} and \color{red}{\lim_\limits{h \to 0}\frac{\cos x}{h}} do NOT exist.
Here is how you can solve the first limit properly.
\lim_{h \to 0}\frac{\sin(x+h)-\sin x}{h}
= \lim_{h \to 0}\frac{\color{blue}{\sin x\cos h}+\cos x\sin h\color{blue}{-\sin x}}{h}
= \lim_{h \to 0}\frac{\color{blue}{\sin x(\cos h-1)}+\cos x\sin h}{h}
= \lim_{h \to 0}\frac{\sin x(\cos h-1)}{h}+\lim_{h \to 0}\frac{\cos x\sin h}{h}
= \sin x\cdot\lim_{h \to 0}\frac{\cos h-1}{h}+\cos x\cdot\lim_{h \to 0}\frac{\sin h}{h}
Using \lim_\limits{h \to 0} \frac{\sin h}{h} = 1 and \lim_\limits{h \to 0}\frac{\cos h-1}{h} = 0, you get
= \sin x\cdot 0 + \cos x\cdot 1 = \cos x
Notice how the individual limits exist. Therefore, the procedure is correct. Can you use the same way to solve for the second limit?
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