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Use Polar Coordinates to Find the Limit...

By Jessica Wood
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Use polar coordinates to find the limit. [If $(r, \theta)$ are polar coordinates of the point $(x, y)$ with $r \geq 0$, $r \to 0^+$ as $(x,y) \to (0,0)$)]

$$\lim \limits_{(x,y) \to (0,0)} \dfrac{4e^{-x^2-y^2}-4}{x^2+y^2}$$

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2 Answers

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Hint: use $$\lim_{u\to 0} \frac{\exp u -1}u = 1$$

application:$$ \dfrac{4e^{-x^2-y^2}-4}{x^2+y^2} =4 \dfrac{e^{-r^2}-1}{r^2}\sim_{r\to 0} 4\dfrac{{-r^2}}{r^2} = -4 $$

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Transforming the limit to polar gives $\displaystyle \lim_{r \to 0} \frac{4 e^{-r^2}-4}{r^2}$. Use your favorite tools from single-variable calculus to compute from here.

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