MATLAB: Limit of a symbolic expression

limitsymbolic

Hi,

I am trying to use the limit(expr,x,a) function of MATLAB to find the limit of the ratio of two norms with symbolic variables in them. Like below (I want to get rid of the abs in the solution as well). This is my goal: limit(N,norm(x),0) I am getting this error "The limit variable must be a symbolic variable." I don't understand since N,norm(x) are all symbolic.

N = (abs((49*x3)/50 + (49*x5)/50 + (2000*sin(x3)*x4^2 + 1000*sin(x5)*x6^2 – u + 980*cos(x3)*sin(x3) + 980*cos(x5)*sin(x5))/(100*cos(x3)^2 + 100*cos(x5)^2 – 1200))^2 + abs((49*x3)/500 + (539*x5)/500 + (49*sin(x5))/100 – (cos(x5)*(2000*sin(x3)*x4^2 + 1000*sin(x5)*x6^2 – u + 980*cos(x3)*sin(x3) + 980*cos(x5)*sin(x5)))/(20*(100*cos(x3)^2 + 100*cos(x5)^2 – 1200)))^2 + abs((539*x3)/1000 + (49*x5)/1000 + (49*sin(x3))/100 – (cos(x3)*(2000*sin(x3)*x4^2 + 1000*sin(x5)*x6^2 – u + 980*cos(x3)*sin(x3) + 980*cos(x5)*sin(x5)))/(20*(100*cos(x3)^2 + 100*cos(x5)^2 – 1200)))^2)^(1/2)/(abs(x1)^2 + abs(x2)^2 + abs(x3)^2 + abs(x4)^2 + abs(x5)^2 + abs(x6)^2)^(1/2)

Best Answer

You want to do this:

limit(N,norm(x),0)

norm(x) is NOT a symbolic variable. It is a construct that contains symbolic variables, so it is a symbolic expression containing symbolic variables. But it is NOT a symbolic variable. The difference is important here.

x is what, a vector of length 6? Think about it like this: we can approach 0 with norm(x) along MANY paths in that 6 dimensional space. Infinitely many of them in fact. I'd not be amazed if some of those paths have different limits.

For example, consider the problem as you want to write it:

limit(x/y,norm([x,y]),0)

Thus take the limit of x/y, as the norm of the vector [x,y] approaches zero. If we fix x at zero, then vary y, allowing y to approach zero. Then the limit is equivalent to

syms y
limit(0/y,y,0)
ans =
0

But if we fix y to 0, then allow x to approach zero? MATLAB predicts this is essentially a NaN, undefined.

Or, we can follow the path where x==y. That reduces to

syms x
limit(x/x,x,0)
ans =
1

But what if we take the limit along the path x==2*y?

limit(x/(2*x),x,0)
ans =
1/2

The point is, your question is not well posed in general, since such a limit may well have infinitely many solutions.

Related Solutions

MATLAB: FSOLVE requires all values returned by functions to be of data type double.

If you want to solve a system of equations symbolically or using symbolic variables, use the solve function instead of fsolve. The fsolve function requires that the output of the function you specify as the first input be double precision numbers, not symbolic expressions.

If you must use fsolve with symbolic variables inside the function, you must convert those symbolic expressions into numbers using double before returning the numbers (not the symbolic expressions) from the function.

As a very simple example, put all this code into a function example373677.m and run it:

function y = example373677
y = fsolve(@mysubfun, 3);
 
function z = mysubfun(q)
x = sym('x');
r = x.^3-2*x-5;
z = double(subs(r, q));

Of course, with solve this is easier.

syms x
y = solve(x.^3-2*x-5)

You may need to use vpa to approximate y numerically.

vpa(y)

One of the solutions returned in y should match the result you received from running the function.

MATLAB: Error using surf X, Y, Z, and C cannot be complex error

this is John BG <mailto:jgb2012@sky.com jgb2012@sky.com>

The problem is not in solving

x = 0:0.8:pi;
A = sin(x).^(1/3)
B = cos(x).^(1/3)

the operator

.^

solves for either real or complex.

The problem lays in the fact that surf doesn't take in complex values.

To solve the long expression of H, since you are dealing with complex numbers, you have to plot 2 surfs, not one: Real and Imaginary, or Modulus and Phase

clc
theta5=[0:0.1:pi];
theta4=[0:0.1:pi];
[X,Y]=meshgrid(theta4,theta5);
H=(((((cos(Y).^2-cos(X).^2-sin(X).^2+cos(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2+sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2).*(cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^2-cos(X).^2*sin(X).^2+cos(Y).^2.*sin(X).^2+cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^4.*sin(X).^2+2*cos(X).^2.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2-cos(Y).^2.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2-cos(X).^2.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^4))./6+(cos(Y).^2-cos(X).^2-sin(X).^2+cos(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2+sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2).^3./27+(cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^2.*sin(X).^2)./2-(cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^6.*sin(X).^2)./2-(cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^2.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2)./2-cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^4.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2).^2-((cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^2)./3-(cos(X).^2.*sin(X).^2)./3+(cos(Y).^2.*sin(X).^2)./3+(cos(Y).^2-cos(X).^2-sin(X).^2+cos(X).^2.*sin(X).^2+sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2).^2./9+(cos(X).^2*cos(Y).^4.*sin(X).^2)./3+(2.*cos(X).^2.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2)./3-(cos(Y).^2.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2)./3-(cos(X).^2.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^4)./3).^3).^(1/2)-((cos(Y).^2-cos(X).^2-sin(X).^2+cos(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2+sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2).*(cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^2-cos(X).^2.*sin(X).^2+cos(Y).^2.*sin(X).^2+cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^4.*sin(X).^2+2.*cos(X).^2.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2-cos(Y).^2.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2-cos(X).^2.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^4))./6-(cos(Y).^2-cos(X).^2-sin(X).^2+cos(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2+sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2).^3./27-(cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^2.*sin(X).^2)./2+(cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^6.*sin(X).^2)./2+(cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^2.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2)./2+cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^4.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2).^(1/3)+cos(X).^2./3-cos(Y).^2./3+sin(X).^2./3+((cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^2)./3-(cos(X).^2.*sin(X).^2)./3+(cos(Y).^2.*sin(X).^2)./3+(cos(Y).^2-cos(X).^2-sin(X).^2+cos(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2+sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2).^2./9+(cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^4.*sin(X).^2)./3+(2*cos(X).^2.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2)./3-(cos(Y).^2.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2)./3-(cos(X).^2.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^4)./3)./(((((cos(Y).^2-cos(X).^2-sin(X).^2+cos(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2+sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2).*(cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^2-cos(X).^2.*sin(X).^2+cos(Y).^2.*sin(X).^2+cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^4.*sin(X).^2+2.*cos(X).^2.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2-cos(Y).^2.*sin(X).^2.*sin(X).^2-cos(X).^2.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^4))./6+(cos(Y).^2-cos(X).^2-sin(X).^2+cos(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2+sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2).^3./27+(cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^2.*sin(X).^2)./2-(cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^6.*sin(X).^2)./2-(cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^2.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2)./2-cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^4.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2).^2-((cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^2)./3-(cos(X).^2.*sin(X).^2)./3+(cos(Y).^2.*sin(X).^2)./3+(cos(Y).^2-cos(X).^2-sin(X).^2+cos(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2+sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2).^2./9+(cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^4.*sin(X).^2)./3+(2.*cos(X).^2.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2)./3-(cos(Y).^2.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2)./3-(cos(X).^2.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^4)./3).^3).^(1/2)-((cos(Y).^2-cos(X).^2-sin(X).^2+cos(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2+sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2).*(cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^2-cos(X).^2.*sin(X).^2+cos(Y).^2.*sin(X)^2+cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^4.*sin(X).^2+2.*cos(X).^2.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2-cos(Y).^2.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2-cos(X).^2.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^4))./6-(cos(Y).^2-cos(X).^2-sin(X).^2+cos(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2+sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2).^3./27-(cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^2.*sin(X).^2)./2+(cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^6.*sin(X).^2)./2+(cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^2.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2)./2+cos(X).^2.*cos(Y).^4.*sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2).^(1/3)-(cos(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2)./3-(sin(X).^2.*sin(Y).^2)./3;
figure(1);surf(X,Y,abs(H))
figure(2);surf(X,Y,angle(H))

if you find this answer useful would you please be so kind to consider marking my answer as Accepted Answer?

To any other reader, if you find this answer useful please consider clicking on the thumbs-up vote link

thanks in advance for time and attention

John BG

<mailto:jgb2012@sky.com jgb2012@sky.com>

Best Answer

Related Solutions

MATLAB: FSOLVE requires all values returned by functions to be of data type double.

MATLAB: Error using surf X, Y, Z, and C cannot be complex error

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