31/08/2023
Did you know? (Day 2)
Imagine you're trying to find out what happens to a ball as it gets closer and closer to a certain point, like touching the ground. The concept of limits in math helps us understand this idea.
Think of the limit as a way to predict where the ball will be just before it touches the ground. As the ball gets closer and closer to the ground, its position approaches a specific point, which we call the "limit." This is similar to how we might estimate where the ball will land by observing its trajectory.
The origin of limits comes from the need to solve tricky problems that involve things like dividing by zero or dealing with infinitely small or infinitely large numbers. Mathematicians developed the concept of limits to handle these situations in a more organized and systematic way. It's like creating a rulebook for how to handle situations that might seem a bit strange at first.
In the ball example, the limit helps us "see" where the ball is headed even if it hasn't quite reached the ground yet. Just like a guess that gets better and better the more information you have, limits help us predict the outcome when things get really close to a certain point, even if they never quite reach it.
Also, there are two possible ways (in 2d coordinates) for a value to "come from" before it approaches to the specific point (attached in the image below).
Source of image: https://calcworkshop.com/limits/finding-limits-graphically/
