Differential calculus is a subfield of Calculus that focuses on derivates, which are used to describe rates of change that are not constants. The term ‘differential’ comes from the process known as differentiation, which is the process of finding the derivative of a curve. Differential calculus is a major topic covered in calculus. According to Interactive Mathematics, “We use the derivative to determine the maximum and minimum values of particular functions (e.g. cost, strength, amount of material used in a building, profit, loss, etc.).” Not only are derivatives used to determine how to maximize or minimize functions, but they are also used in determining how two related variables are changing over time in relation to each other. Eight different differential rules were established in order to assist with finding the derivative of a function. Those rules include chain rule, the differentiation of the sum and difference of equations, the constant rule, the product rule, the quotient rule, and more. In addition to these differential rules, optimization is an application of differential calculus used today to effectively help with efficiency. Also, partial differentiation and implicit differentiation are subgroups of differential calculus that allow derivatives to be taken to more challenging and difficult formulas. The mean value theorem is applied in differential calculus. This rule basically states that there is at least one tangent line that produces the same slope as the slope made by the endpoints found on a closed interval. Differential calculus began to develop due to Sir Isaac Newton’s biggest problem: navigation at sea. Shipwrecks were frequent all due to the captain being unaware of how the Earth, planets, and stars mov...
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... mathematics, would not be able to exist to the extent that it is today.
Works Cited
William, Walter, and Rouse Ball. Differentiation Rules: Chain Rule, Inverse Functions and Differentiation, Sum Rule in Differentiation, Constant Factor Rule in Differentiation. New York City, NY: General Books LLC, 1888. Print.
Kouba, Duane. "Implicit Differentiation Problems." Collection of Lectures. (1998): Print.
Rusin, Dave. "Partial differential equations." Mathematical Atlas. 35.1 (2000): Print.
Foster, Niki. "Who is Gottfried Leibniz." Brief and Straightforward Guide (2011): n. pag. Web. 14 Apr 2011. .
Bourne, M. "Applications of Differentiation." Interactive Mathematics. N.p., 25 02 2011. Web. 14 Apr 2011. .
Fig. 1. A graph of the marginal value theorem from Krebs (1993). The asymptotic curve represents food intake. The optimal number of food items to take is found by drawing a line from the travel time to the patch to the steepest point possible on the curve.
Look, B. (2007, December 22). Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. Stanford University. Retrieved May 2, 2014, from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/leibniz/
The contemporary world is full of marvels. Technological advances have enabled mankind to fly in the heavens, instantaneously communicate with distant relatives thousands of miles away, construct buildings that are able to withstand many natural disasters, cure deadly diseases, and even travel to and study areas beyond the confines of planet Earth. While there are many factors that contributed to man’s ability to overcome what many once thought were impossible feats, it is the study of engineering that has enabled one to study the elements and leverage all that they have to offer. Mathematics lies at the heart of all science, including engineering. Without progressions in mathematical concepts, engineering principles and applications would not have advanced as quickly as they have throughout history.
"Nature and nature's laws lay hid in night: God said, let Newton be! And all was light." - - Alexander Pope
I also learned that mathematics was more than merely an intellectual activity: it was a necessary tool for getting a grip on all sorts of problems in science and engineering. Without mathematics there is no progress. However, mathematics could also show its nasty face during periods in which problems that seemed so simple at first sight refused to be solved for a long time. Every math student will recognize these periods of frustration and helplessness.
The derivative of a function is the rate of change of that function. It shows how fast or how slow the function is changing. This can be useful in determining things such as instantaneous rates of change, velocity, acceleration and maximum profits. A good way to explain the concept of a derivative is to do it graphically. To illustrate, think of a drag car race. The track is only ¼ of a mile long, or 1320 feet. The dragster crosses the finish line in six seconds. How fast was the dragster going when it crossed the finish line? The dragster traveled 1320 feet in 6 seconds, so the average speed of the dragster is 1320 divided by 6 which equals 220 feet per second, or 150 miles per hour. The following graph represents the dragster’s position function as the red curve. The position function for the dragster is 36 2/3 x^2. The green line is the secant line connecting the dragster’s starting point and end point. The slope of this secant line is the average speed of the dragster, 220 feet per second, or 150 miles per hour.
The calculus topic I would like to discuss comes from unit two, derivatives. Derivatives are enjoyable because in most cases, they are simple to solve. Also, derivatives make other classes involving calculus and derivatives easier to understand. Within this paper, I will be elaborating on differentiation, the derivative, rate of change, the rules and purpose of derivatives and how to understand them.
Calculus was easily one of Leibniz’s most important contributions to math; his main purpose was to simplify the then complex math. He created two symbols that will forever be used in math. The ‘d’ notation for differentiation, and the other was the integral sign used to find the areas under curves. Some of Leibniz’s ideas were so complex they couldn’t be understood until the early 20th century.
Finite difference scheme can be categorized and formulated in Taylor series expansions. When a function and its derivatives are single valued, finite and the continuous functions then the Taylor series expansion for function may be written at particular point as:
Because to solve a problem analytically can be very hard and spend a lot of time, global, polynomial and numerical methods can be very useful. However, in last decades, numerical methods have been used by many scientists. These numerical methods can be listed like The Taylor-series expansion method, the hybrid function method, Adomian decomposition method, The Legendre wavelets method, The Tau method, The finite difference method, The Haar function method, The...
...derstand the behavior of a non-linear system you need in principle to study the system as a whole and not just its parts in isolation.
The argument in this paper that even though the onus of the discovery of calculus lies with Isaac Newton, the credit goes to Leibniz for the simple fact that he was the one who published his works first. Appending to this is the fact that the calculus wars that ensue was merely and egotistic battle between humans succumbing to their bare primal instincts. To commence, a brief historical explanation must be given about both individuals prior to stating their cases.
In my previous studies, I have covered all the four branches of mathematics syllabus and this has made me to develop a strong interest in pure mathematics and most importantly, a very strong interest in calculus.
Ever wonder how scientists figure out how long it takes for the radiation from a nuclear weapon to decay? This dilemma can be solved by calculus, which helps determine the rate of decay of the radioactive material. Calculus can aid people in many everyday situations, such as deciding how much fencing is needed to encompass a designated area. Finding how gravity affects certain objects is how calculus aids people who study Physics. Mechanics find calculus useful to determine rates of flow of fluids in a car. Numerous developments in mathematics by Ancient Greeks to Europeans led to the discovery of integral calculus, which is still expanding. The first mathematicians came from Egypt, where they discovered the rule for the volume of a pyramid and approximation of the area of a circle. Later, Greeks made tremendous discoveries. Archimedes extended the method of inscribed and circumscribed figures by means of heuristic, which are rules that are specific to a given problem and can therefore help guide the search. These arguments involved parallel slices of figures and the laws of the lever, the idea of a surface as made up of lines. Finding areas and volumes of figures by using conic section (a circle, point, hyperbola, etc.) and weighing infinitely thin slices of figures, an idea used in integral calculus today was also a discovery of Archimedes. One of Archimedes's major crucial discoveries for integral calculus was a limit that allows the "slices" of a figure to be infinitely thin. Another Greek, Euclid, developed ideas supporting the theory of calculus, but the logic basis was not sustained since infinity and continuity weren't established yet (Boyer 47). His one mistake in finding a definite integral was that it is not found by the sums of an infinite number of points, lines, or surfaces but by the limit of an infinite sequence (Boyer 47). These early discoveries aided Newton and Leibniz in the development of calculus. In the 17th century, people from all over Europe made numerous mathematics discoveries in the integral calculus field. Johannes Kepler "anticipat(ed) results found… in the integral calculus" (Boyer 109) with his summations. For instance, in his Astronomia nova, he formed a summation similar to integral calculus dealing with sine and cosine. F. B. Cavalieri expanded on Johannes Kepler's work on measuring volumes. Also, he "investigate[d] areas under the curve" ("Calculus (mathematics)") with what he called "indivisible magnitudes.
...d a better understanding of differentiation, I have had several of my students tell me that I am the best math teacher they have ever had. They express their happiness by telling me that I teach math in a way they understand. They state, “You do not stand in front of the classroom and explain how to do the problem, give us homework, and move on to the next topic”. I take pride in this. I try very hard to help each of my students understand the necessary standards so when they leave my room, they are able to take a real-world problem and find solutions to them.