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Exercise 196Calculus › Single-variable calculus › LimitsHigh schoolAdded 1 Nov 2026

sin(3x) over 5x

#fundamental trigonometric limit#change of variable

Statement

Compute
lim⁡x→0sin⁡(3x)5x.\lim_{x\to0}\frac{\sin(3x)}{5x}.

Hint

You know that sin⁡uu→1\dfrac{\sin u}{u}\to1 as u→0u\to0. Make 3x3x appear in the denominator.

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Solution

Idea. Adjust the expression so that the argument of the sine and the denominator are the same.

Computation. For x≠0x\neq0,
sin⁡(3x)5x=35⋅sin⁡(3x)3x.\frac{\sin(3x)}{5x}=\frac35\cdot\frac{\sin(3x)}{3x}.
Set u=3xu=3x. When x→0x\to0, u→0u\to0, so sin⁡uu→1\dfrac{\sin u}{u}\to1. Hence the limit is 35⋅1=35\dfrac35\cdot1=\dfrac35.

Remark. In general sin⁡(ax)bx→ab\dfrac{\sin(ax)}{bx}\to\dfrac ab as x→0x\to0.