Unit G Summary #1: Horizontal Asymptote

1.  How do we know if a graph has a horizontal asymptote? What are the three options?

We can know if a graph has a horizontal asymptote by looking at the degree of the numerator and denominator. We compare the degree on the bottom and the top to find out if it is a horizontal asymtote. The first option is the bigger degree on the bottom, it means that the asymtote is y=0. Second option is if the degree is the same, the asymptote is the ratio of the coefficients. Third option is if the bigger degree on top, there will be no horizontal asymptote. The only the middle of the graph can cross horizontal asymtote.