Asymptote

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For other uses, see Asymptote (disambiguation).

An asymptote is a straight line or curve A to which another curve B (the one being studied) approaches closer and closer as one moves along it. As one moves along B, the space between it and the asymptote A becomes smaller and smaller, and can in fact be made as small as one could wish by going far enough along. A curve may or may not touch or cross its asymptote. In fact, the curve may intersect the asymptote an infinite number of times.

If a curve C has the curve L as an asymptote, one says that C is asymptotic to L.

Image:Asymptote02.png

A curve can intersect its asymptote, even infinitely many times.

In the graph of 1/x, the x and y axes are the asymptotes.

In the graph of f(x)=x+1/x, the y-axis (x=0) and the line y=x are both asymptotes.

[edit] Asymptotes and graphs of functions

Asymptotes are formally defined using limits.

Suppose f is a function. Then the line y=a is a horizontal asymptote for f if

<math>\lim_{x \to \infty} f(x) = a \,\mbox{ or } \lim_{x \to -\infty} f(x) = a.</math>

Intuitively, this means that for large (positive, or negative) values of x, the value of f(x) is approximately equal to a, and that the approximation becomes better and better as x becomes larger (in a general sense: there can be local wobbling). This means that far out on the curve, the curve will be close to the line.

Note that if

<math>\lim_{x \to \infty} f(x) = a \,\mbox{ and } \lim_{x \to -\infty} f(x) = b</math>

then the graph of f has two horizontal asymptotes: y=a and y=b. An example of such a function is the arctangent function.

Image:Asymptote03.png

The graph of a function can have two horizontal asymptotes.

The line x=a is a vertical asymptote of a function f if either of the following conditions is true:

<math>\lim_{x \to a^{-}} f(x)=\pm\infty</math>
<math>\lim_{x \to a^{+}} f(x)=\pm\infty</math>

Intuitively, if x=a is an asymptote of f, then, if we imagine x approaching a from one side, the value of f(x) grows without bound; i.e., f(x) becomes large (positively or negatively), and, in fact, becomes larger than any set value.

A specific example of asymptotes can be found in the graph of the function f(x) = 1/x, in which two asymptotes are seen: the horizontal line y = 0 and the vertical line x = 0.

Note that f(x) may or may not be defined at a: what the function is doing precisely at x=a does not affect the asymptote. For example, consider the function

<math>f(x) = \begin{cases} 1/x & x > 0 \\ 5 & x \le 0 \end{cases}</math>

As <math>\lim_{x \to 0^{+}} f(x) = \infty</math>, f(x) has a vertical asymptote at 0, even though <math>f(0) = 5</math>.

Asymptotes of a graph of a function need not be parallel to the x- or y-axis, as shown by the graph of f(x)=x +1/x, which is asymptotic to the y-axis and the line y = x. When an asymptote is not parallel to the x- or y-axis, it is called an oblique asymptote. If y= m x + b, is any non-vertical line, then the function f(x) is asymptotic to it if