How to choose witnesses for asymptotic growth?

64 Views Asked by At

I'm struggling with how to choose witnesses for asymptotic growth. Specifically, here is the problem I'm working on and what I have done so far:

Prove: $$4n^5 – 50n^2 + 10n \in \Theta(n^5)$$

$$0 \leq c_1(n^5) \leq 4n^5 – 50n^2 + 10 n \leq c_2(n^5)$$ $$0 \leq c_1 \leq 4 – 50/n^3 + 10/n^4 \leq c_2$$

Now, I know for the middle portion, so long as $n \geq 3$ then it will approach 4, leaving me with

$$0 \leq c_1 \leq 4 \leq c_2$$

However, I don't understand how to get my exact witnesses. Everything I found on the internet, people choose their witnesses but don't really explain how. Can I just arbitrarily choose anything between 0 and 4 for $c_1$ and anything above 4 for $c_2$?

1

There are 1 best solutions below

0
On

A polynomial will always asymptotically behave like the highest degree monome. This can easily be proven:

Take for $k\leq n$ $$ \lim_{x\to\infty} \frac{a_kx^k}{x^n} = \lim_{x\to\infty} a_k x^{k-n} $$ If $k=n$ this is simply $a_k$, if $k<n$ this goes to $0$. Thus $$ \frac{a_0+a_1x+\ldots+a_nx^n}{x^n} \xrightarrow{x\to\infty} a_n $$