Graphing Functions – Plot of a Square?

algebra-precalculusgraphing-functions

Well there are equations which can plot a square like : $|x-y|+|x+y|=a$

But how about this equation: ? (At the end … bear with me!)


[Here I have taken $a = 1$]

Plot of $$x^2 + y^2 = a^2$$

1

Plot of $$x^4 + y^4 = a^4$$

2

Plot of $$x^6 + y^6 = a^6$$

3

Plot of $$x^{100} + y^{100} = a^{100}$$

4

Since we can see that as the degree of the equation is increasing, the sharpness of the possible rounded square is also increasing

So can we say that:

Plot of :

$$\lim\limits_{p \rightarrow \infty} \space (x^p + y^p = a^p)$$

is the plot of a square???

Best Answer

Fix $a > 0$. In each diagram the exponent is even; if you plot $$ x^{2k+1} + y^{2k+1} = a^{2k+1} $$ for some non-negative integer $k$, you'll get a substantially different picture (except in the first quadrant).

So, let's interpret the diagrams as special cases of $$ |x|^{p} + |y|^{p} = a^{p},\quad \text{$p > 0$ real,} $$ i.e. $$ \left(|x|^{p} + |y|^{p}\right)^{1/p} = a. \tag{1} $$ Now it makes sense to take the limit as $p \to \infty$ on the left.

Exercise: If $x$ and $y$ are real numbers, then $$ \lim_{p \to \infty} \left(|x|^{p} + |y|^{p}\right)^{1/p} = \max\left(|x|, |y|\right). $$

Hint: Split into cases $|x| < |y|$ and $|y| \leq |x|$, and use the fact that if $|u| < 1$, then $|u|^{p} \to 0$ as $p \to \infty$.

In this sense, (1) "converges to" $\max\left(|x|, |y|\right) = a$ as $p \to \infty$, which is indeed the equation of the axis-oriented square of side length $2a$ centered at the origin.