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[5] [6] The difference quotient is a measure of the average rate of change of the function over an interval (in this case, an interval of length h ). [7] [8] : 237 [9] The limit of the difference quotient (i.e., the derivative) is thus the instantaneous rate of change.
The fundamental theorem of calculus is a theorem that links the concept of differentiating a function (calculating its slopes, or rate of change at each time) with the concept of integrating a function (calculating the area under its graph, or the cumulative effect of small contributions). The two operations are inverses of each other apart ...
Originally called infinitesimal calculus or "the calculus of infinitesimals ", 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. These two branches are related to each other by the fundamental theorem of ...
Calculus. The derivative is a fundamental tool of calculus that quantifies the sensitivity of change of a function 's output with respect to its input. The derivative of a function of a single variable at a chosen input value, when it exists, is the slope of the tangent line to the graph of the function at that point.
Rate of change may refer to: Rate of change (mathematics), either average rate of change or instantaneous rate of change. Instantaneous rate of change, rate of change at a given instant in time. Rate of change (technical analysis), a simple technical indicator in finance.
In calculus, the second derivative, or the second-order derivative, of a function f is the derivative of the derivative of f. Informally, the second derivative can be phrased as "the rate of change of the rate of change"; for example, the second derivative of the position of an object with respect to time is the instantaneous acceleration of ...
The primary objects of study in differential calculus are the derivative of a function, related notions such as the differential, and their applications. The derivative of a function at a chosen input value describes the rate of change of the function near that input value. The process of finding a derivative is called differentiation. Geometrically, the derivative at a point is the slope of ...
In calculus, the derivative of a general function measures its rate of change. A linear function has a constant rate of change equal to its slope a, so its derivative is the constant function .