Showing that for , requires two things:
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What are the derivatives of a piecewise-defined function at the point where the rule for the function changes?
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If is a positive integer, what is the limit of as , and how is it obtained?
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If , , a result obtained by differentiating the rule for when .
To obtain , apply the limit-definition of the derivative:
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The actual value of the limit is obtained by applying L'Hôpital's rule to the indeterminate form , with the fraction written with in the numerator.
Thus, , a result needed to obtain .
If , , a result obtained by differentiating the rule for when .
To obtain , evaluate . This limit also yields to L'Hôpital's rule if the numerator is taken as , and the rule is applied multiple times.
Thus, , a result needed to obtain .
At this point, appropriate generalizations need to be made, both for the pattern of the derivatives and for the pattern of the limits. Each new derivative will require computing the limit of a fraction of the form , which will yield to multiple applications of L'Hôpital's rule.
The Taylor-series recipe applied to given in this example is
a sum of terms all of which are zero, so that "series" is just zero. It does not represent even though all the derivatives of exist.