WHAT IS CALCULUS?
The first step to understanding the importance of calculus and all of its
complexities is to fully comprehend its purpose. To put it simply,
calculus is the branch of mathematics that was developed to study
rates of change. Math used to be limited to studying certain discrete
quantities independently, but the development of calculus made it so
that mathematicians were able to study continuous quantities in
relation to other reference variables, such as time. The term “calculus”
used to be just a general term for any mathematical calculations, and
not a distinct branch of mathematics; it was not until certain key
developments were discovered and accepted that the subject became
a concrete definition and field of study.
As long as there is an object that is moving or changing, we can
calculate the rate of that change using calculus. It is interesting
because today, scientists have demonstrated that any existing object
or being on the Earth possesses some kind of mass, which therefore
exerts some capacity of gravitational force or movement. This aspect is
one of the many that makes Calculus so unique; since it is possible to
prove that no object in the universe is completely standstill, we can
calculate and analyse the changing behavior of every single thing in
the universe. The possibilities are quite literally endless.
The subject of calculus focuses on many different areas, such as
continuity, limits, derivatives, integrals, and infinite series. The two
major areas of calculus are differential calculus and integral calculus.
To put it simply, differential calculus solves for the rate of change of a
known quantitative variable, while integral calculus solves for a
quantity when the rate of change is known. Differential calculus deals
with movement like slopes and velocities, and integral calculus deals
with total values like areas and volumes. These are major themes
throughout this paper and understanding the differences will make
certain ideas much easier to understand. I will be discussing calculus in
the Euclidean space, but there are many other spaces in which calculus
also only mainly be looking at functions with one input variable, 𝑥𝑥,
is crucially relatable and/or applicable. To make things simpler, I will
multiple inputs like 𝑥𝑥 and 𝑦𝑦 are calculated.
but there is a whole other realm of multivariable calculus in which
The way we use the subject of calculus today and even the name of
the subject itself is all due to the contributions of many
mathematicians over the past 3000 years. The recurring message I
want to emphasize is that it is so important to know about the
intelligent founders, contributors, and the increasing applications of
calculus to prove the subject’s integrity and necessity. Where did
calculus come from? How is it used today? These questions are
extremely important in guiding one’s understanding of the subject.
There is concrete evidence that calculus has been around for
millenniums, and there are constantly new discoveries being made
about its origins. For this reason, I will not be making any definitive
comments about the subject’s exact origins. However, I will stay true
to thoroughly exploring the history of notable, influential contributors
and obvious, significant applications.
THE HISTORY OF CALCULUS
Calculus has been around for centuries and the history of the subject is
almost as complex as the subject itself. I believe the easiest and
clearest way to go through this timeline, as many historical timelines
showcase, is to highlight some of the prominent mathematicians and
their contributions to modern day calculus. There are a multitude of
mathematicians in the past generations that have contributed to the
invention of calculus, but there were a distinct few who had particularly
significant contributions to modern-day calculus. This does not
necessarily mean that any of the mathematicians were smarter or
better than others, but there were certain works that were more
publicized, analyzed, preserved, and then accepted. The exact timeline
of calculus is still being constructed and trying to cover all of it may
lose your attention, so I want to cover some of the obvious major
developments that led to today’s understanding and applicability of
the subject.
Starting off with some of the oldest origins, there is evidence of
mathematicians discovering certain mathematical calculations,
theorems, or even just possible theories that later inspired complete
ideas dating back millenniums. Calculus did not become a popular,
challenged idea until around the 17th century, but there were many
noteworthy precursors to the subject dating back to ancient and
medieval times. These discoveries are difficult to follow along a
concrete timeline, but they are very deserving of attention and credit
for modern calculations.
Origins of calculus discoveries can be traced back to the Ancient
Histories of Greece, Egypt, and China, and Medieval India, Middle East,
and Europe. The ancient precursors in Greece are the most evidence-
supported and they also seem to be the most influential to later
discoveries and modern expansions of the subject.