#Calculus definition series#

The word 'calculus' comes from Latin and means a small stone used for counting. A course in calculus is a gateway to other, more advanced courses in mathematics devoted to the study of functions and limits, broadly called mathematical analysis.Ĭalculus has historically been called 'the calculus of infinitesimals', or 'infinitesimal calculus'. Calculus has widespread uses in science, economics, and engineering and can solve many problems that algebra alone cannot.Ĭalculus is a major part of modern mathematics education.

#Calculus definition series#

Both branches make use of the fundamental notions of convergence of infinite sequences and infinite series to a well-defined limit. It has two major branches, differential calculus, and integral calculus these two branches are related to each other by the fundamental theorem of calculus. Today, calculus has widespread uses in science, engineering, and social science.įreebase Rate this definition: 3.0 / 1 voteĬalculus is the mathematical study of change, in the same way that geometry is the study of shape and algebra is the study of operations and their application to solving equations. Later work, including codifying the idea of limits, put these developments on a more solid conceptual footing. These two branches are related to each other by the fundamental theorem of calculus, and they make use of the fundamental notions of convergence of infinite sequences and infinite series to a well-defined limit.Infinitesimal calculus was developed independently in the late 17th century by Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. It has two major branches, differential calculus and integral calculus the former concerns instantaneous rates of change, and the slopes of curves, while the latter concerns accumulation of quantities, and areas under or between curves.

Wikipedia Rate this definition: 0.0 / 0 votesĬalculus, originally called infinitesimal calculus or 'the calculus of infinitesimals', is the mathematical study of continuous change, in the same way that geometry is the study of shape, and algebra is the study of generalizations of arithmetic operations.