Heaviside or step function limit : Calculates the value of the following limit.

Solution

This function is frequently called either the Heaviside or step function. We could employ a table of values to find out the limit, but it's possibly just as quick in this case to employ the graph hence let's do that. Below is the graph of this function.

We can conclude from the graph that if we approach t = 0 from the right side the function is moving in towards a y value of 1. Well in fact it's just staying at 1, however in the terminology which we've been using it's moving in towards 1...

Also, if we move in to t = 0 from the left the function is moving in to a y value of 0. In according to our definition of the limit the function required to move in towards a single value as we move in towards t = a (from both sides). It isn't happening in this case and hence in this instance we will also say that the limit doesn't exist.