Question

Limits

Answer 1

Ok.

Answer 2

\[\lim_{x \rightarrow -\infty} (14-e ^{-x})\]

Answer 3

what happens to e^(-x) if x gets infinitely small?

Answer 4

It gets smaller?

Answer 5

nope

Answer 6

if x is a negative number, then what is the sign of e^(-x) ?

Answer 7

informally speaking, it's 14 - infinity = -infinity

Answer 8

so answer is -infinity

Answer 9

Is that not what I said?

Answer 10

small/smaller is not really a term you should use with -infinity

Answer 11

Well, sourwing asked what happens to e^(-x) as x gets smaller, not the entire limit. As x gets smaller on e^(-x), it approaches infinity. Idk if approaches is the right word lol

Answer 12

smaller is the wrong word. if I owed you 10 cents you would say that is small that is -.1 dollars

If I owed you 10000000 dollars (-10000000) you would not say that is small

Answer 13

small typically means near zero

Answer 14

Sure, in magnitude. On the number line, the more negative, the smaller.

Answer 15

no...the more less than....not really 'smaller'

Answer 16

perhaps negatively infinitely bigger is more appropriate

Answer 17

x_x I'm not feeling that well for a math-off.

Answer 18

I know it is not wrong to say smaller...but myself and all the mathematicians I know would not say smaller (well as far as I know...maybe I should ask them what they think).

Answer 19

I do get what you're saying now. 'Bigger' and 'smaller' are associated with magnitude. Maybe it's just best to say what is the behavior of the function as f(x) approaches the limit...

Answer 20

Which is the formal way of saying it I suppose.

Answer 21

my professor likes to say it's getting infinitely smaller

Answer 22

not sure I like that :)