Chapter 1: What Is Calculus?

Definition and Practical Applications

INTRODUCTION
Calculus is the branch of mathematics that deals with the finding and properties of derivatives
and integrals of functions, by methods originally based on the summation of infinitesimal
differences. The two main types are differential calculus and integral calculus.

Before calculus was invented, all mathematics was static: It could only help calculate objects that
were perfectly still. But the universe is constantly moving and changing. Indeed, just about
everything in the universe is constantly moving. Calculus helped to determine how particles,
stars, and matter actually move and change in real time.

Calculus is used in a multitude of fields that you wouldn't ordinarily think would make use of its
concepts. Among them are physics, engineering, economics, statistics, and medicine. Calculus is
also used in such disparate areas as space travel, as well as determining how medications interact
with the body, and even how to build safer structures. You'll understand why calculus is useful in
so many areas if you know a bit about its history as well as what it is designed to do and
measure.

Fundamental Theorem of the Calculus

o Calculus is the study of rates of change; and

o There are two types of calculus: Differential calculus determines the rate of change of a
quantity, while integral calculus finds the quantity where the rate of change is known.
Who Invented Calculus?
Calculus was developed in the latter half of the 17th century by two mathematicians,
Gottfried Leibniz and Isaac Newton. Newton first developed calculus and applied it directly to
the understanding of physical systems. Independently, Leibniz developed the notations used in
calculus. Put simply, while basic math uses operations such as plus, minus, times, and division
(+, -, x, and ÷), calculus uses operations that employ functions and integrals to calculate rates of
change.
Those tools allowed Newton, Leibniz, and other mathematicians who followed to calculate
things like the exact slope of a curve at any point. The Story of Mathematics explains the
importance of Newton's fundamental theorem of the calculus. Unlike the static geometry of
the Greeks, calculus allowed mathematicians and engineers to make sense of the motion and
dynamic change in the changing world around us, such as the orbits of planets, the motion of
fluids, etc.
Using calculus, scientists, astronomers, physicists, mathematicians, and chemists could now
chart the orbit of the planets and stars, as well as the path of electrons and protons at the atomic
level.
Differential vs. Integral Calculus
There are two branches of calculus: differential and integral calculus.
Differential calculus determines the rate of change of a quantity. It examines the rates of change
of slopes and curves. This branch is concerned with the study of the rate of change of functions
with respect to their variables, especially through the use of derivatives and differentials. The
derivative is the slope of a line on a graph. You find the slope of a line by calculating the rise
over the run.
Integral calculus, by contrast, seeks to find the quantity where the rate of change is known. This
branch focuses on such concepts as slopes of tangent lines and velocities. While differential
calculus focuses on the curve itself, integral calculus concerns itself with the space or
area under the curve. Integral calculus is used to figure the total size or value, such as lengths,
areas, and volumes.

Calculus played an integral role in the development of navigation in the 17th and 18th centuries
because it allowed sailors to use the position of the moon to accurately determine the local time.
To chart their position at sea, navigators needed to be able to measure both time and angles with
accuracy. Before the development of calculus, ship navigators and captains could do neither.

Calculus — both derivative and integral — helped to improve the understanding of this
important concept in terms of the curve of the Earth, the distance ships had to travel around a
curve to get to a specific location, and even the alignment of the Earth, seas, and ships in relation
to the stars.
Practical Applications
Calculus has many practical applications in real life. Some of the concepts that use
calculus include motion, electricity, heat, light, harmonics, acoustics, and astronomy. Calculus is
used in geography, computer vision (such as for autonomous driving of cars), photography,
artificial intelligence, robotics, video games, and even movies. Calculus is also used to calculate
the rates of radioactive decay in chemistry, and even to predict birth and death rates, as well as in
the study of gravity and planetary motion, fluid flow, ship design, geometric curves, and bridge
engineering.
In physics, for example, calculus is used to help define, explain, and calculate motion, electricity,
heat, light, harmonics, acoustics, astronomy, and dynamics. Einstein's theory of relativity relies
on calculus, a field of mathematics that also helps economists predict how much profit a
company or industry can make. And in shipbuilding, calculus has been used for many years to
determine both the curve of the hull of the ship (using differential calculus), as well as the area
under the hull (using integral calculus), and even in the general design of ships.
In addition, calculus is used to check answers for different mathematical disciplines such as
statistics, analytical geometry, and algebra.
Calculus in Economics
Economists use calculus to predict supply, demand, and maximum potential profits. Supply and
demand are, after all, essentially charted on a curve—and an ever-changing curve at that.
Economists use calculus to determine the price elasticity of demand. They refer to the ever-
changing supply-and-demand curve as "elastic," and the actions of the curve as "elasticity." To
calculate an exact measure of elasticity at a particular point on a supply or demand curve, you
need to think about infinitesimally small changes in price and, as a result, incorporate
mathematical derivatives into your elasticity formulas. Calculus allows you to determine specific
points on that ever-changing supply-and-demand curve.
Mathematics in Computer Science
We all know that math and computers are deeply connected. So to truly understand computers
and the science that goes into making them work, we must first understand the math which
makes up their anatomy.
One of the mathematical programs we use every day is GPS systems such as Google Maps!.
They work on several complex applications at once weighing one route against another to find
you the fastest one. Factors such as location data, historical traffic patterns, and other metrics are
the numbers that make these equations.
It would be impossible to boil down the mathematics of computer science into a single article,
but here are a few of the core mathematical mechanics of computer science. These are:
Linear Algebra:
Linear Algebra is the language of machine learning. The heartbeat of the computer is in
linear algebra. This branch of mathematics provides concepts crucial to many areas of
computer science, including graphics, image processing, cryptography, machine learning,
computer vision, optimization, graph algorithms, quantum computation, computational
biology, information retrieval and web search.
Binary Mathematics:
Binary mathematics is the heart of the computer and an essential math field for computer
programming. Computers store data using the binary system. The information we store on
computers, from pictures to games and even videos, is stored using the binary number
system.
Calculus in Computer Science:
Calculus is a branch of mathematics. It studies the rate at which change occurs. It is often used in
computer graphics, scientific computing, problem-solving applications, game programming and
computer security.
Calculus is the examination of continuous change and the rate change occurs. It is used in an
array of computer science areas, including creating graphs or visuals, simulations, problem-
solving applications, coding in applications, creating statistic solvers, and the design and analysis
of algorithms. There are two different types of calculus: integral calculus and differential
calculus. Together, these disciplines help you to figure out the rate of change, which is an
important ingredient in many algorithms and programs.
Differential equations are particularly important. A differential equation calculates how
something changes and how fast that happens, so a computer can predict future outputs.