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Ch. 7 - Transcendental Functions
Hass - Thomas' Calculus 15th Edition
Hass15th EditionThomas' CalculusISBN: 9780137616077Non è quello che usi tu?Cambia libro di testo
Capitolo 7, Problema 7.PE.110f

110. Does f grow faster, slower, or at the same rate as g as x→∞? Give reasons for your answers.
f. f(x) = sech(x), g(x) = e^(-x)

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Recall the definitions of the functions: \(f(x) = \text{sech}(x)\) and \(g(x) = e^{-x}\). The hyperbolic secant function is defined as \(\text{sech}(x) = \frac{2}{e^{x} + e^{-x}}\).
Analyze the behavior of \(f(x)\) as \(x \to \infty\). Since \(e^{x}\) grows very large, the term \(e^{x} + e^{-x}\) is dominated by \(e^{x}\), so \(\text{sech}(x) \approx \frac{2}{e^{x}} = 2e^{-x}\) for large \(x\).
Compare this approximation of \(f(x)\) to \(g(x) = e^{-x}\). Notice that \(f(x)\) behaves like \(2e^{-x}\), which is just a constant multiple of \(g(x)\) as \(x \to \infty\).
Since \(f(x)\) and \(g(x)\) differ only by a constant factor in their dominant terms for large \(x\), they decay at the same exponential rate as \(x \to \infty\).
Conclude that \(f\) and \(g\) grow (or decay) at the same rate as \(x \to \infty\) because their leading terms have the same exponential order.

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