Calculus · real student question

Evaluate the limit of 3 as x approaches infinity.

Question

Evaluate

limx3\lim_{x\to\infty}3

Step-by-step solution

  1. Identify the function. The expression inside the limit contains no xx at all, so it is the constant function f(x)=3f(x)=3. Its graph is a horizontal line at height 33.

  2. Apply the constant rule for limits. For any constant cc and any approach — a finite point or infinity —

    limxac=c\lim_{x\to a}c=c

    because the function's output never changes as the input moves.

  3. Conclude.

    limx3=3\lim_{x\to\infty}3=3

  4. Check it against the definition. A limit LL at infinity requires that for every ε>0\varepsilon>0 there is an MM with f(x)L<ε|f(x)-L|<\varepsilon whenever x>Mx>M. Here 33=0<ε|3-3|=0<\varepsilon for every xx, so any MM works — the condition is satisfied trivially.

  5. Note the common confusion. The answer is not \infty: it is the input that grows without bound, not the output. Nor is it undefined — constants are among the best-behaved functions there are. Compare limx3x+1x=3\lim_{x\to\infty}\tfrac{3x+1}{x}=3, which also equals 33 but for a genuinely different reason: there the function moves toward 33, whereas here it sits at 33 throughout.

Answer

limx3=3\lim_{x\to\infty}3=3

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