Monday, August 6, 2012

Applications of Calculus

#1. Applications of Calculus

Applications of Calculus

Calculus is a field of mathematics with applications in just about all areas of science, including physics, chemistry, biology, sociology and economics. Calculus was invented in the 17th century independently by two of the most mathematicians who ever lived, the English physicist and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton and the German mathematician Gottfried Leibniz. Calculus allows us to perform calculations that would be approximately impossible without it.

Applications of Calculus

The most basic conception in calculus is the conception of a derivative. The derivative f'(x) of a function f(x) is a new function whose value is equal to the slope of the primary function at every value of the seminar x. In order to define the slope of a function at a point, it is first vital to study infinitely-small quantities known as infinitesimal quantities. This is probably the hardest part of calculus. Once everything, such as the derivative, is defined in terms of these infintesimal quantities, it is relatively easy to work with them.

Another basic conception in calculus is the integral, which is used to compute areas and volumes. Although it is not at all obvious, the integral turns out to be the opposite of the derivative. Still, computing integrals, i.e. Integration, is in general more difficult than computing derivatives, i.e. Differentiation.

Isaac Newton invented calculus in order to solve obvious problems in physics, such as computing the gravitational force on an apple near the face of the earth. Thus, it should come as wee surprise that physics is maybe the discipline for which calculus is most widely used. However, it is also widely used in other areas of science as well. For instance, calculus is used in chemistry to compute reaction rates, in biology and sociology to model citizen growth, and in economics to model blend interest.

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