How do you find the end behavior of #y=x^3+3x^2+x-2#?

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Answer 1 · 2015-05-03T16:00:39

The end behavior of a function is the behavior of the function as x approaches positive infinity or negative infinity.

So we have to do these two limits:

#lim_(xrarr-oo)f(x)#

and

#lim_(xrarr+oo)f(x)#.

Than:

#lim_(xrarr-oo)(x^3+3x^2+x-2)=lim_(xrarr-oo)(x^3)=-oo#

and

#lim_(xrarr+oo)(x^3+3x^2+x-2)=lim_(xrarr+oo)(x^3)=+oo#.

This is because the power #x^3# is the highest power and its behavior is the same of the whole function.