Why do study calculus

This means they are lots easier to model. In fact calculus was invented by Newton, who discovered that acceleration, which means change of speed of objects could be modeled by his relatively simple laws of motion.

This leaves us with the problem of deducing information about the motion of objects from information about their speed or acceleration. And the details of calculus involve the interrelations between the concepts exemplified by speed and acceleration and that represented by position.

To begin with you have to have a framework for describing such notions as position speed and acceleration. Single variable calculus, which is what we begin with, can deal with motion of an object along a fixed path.

The more general problem, when motion can take place on a surface, or in space, can be handled by multivariable calculus. We study this latter subject by finding clever tricks for using the one dimensional ideas and methods to handle the more general problems.

So single variable calculus is the key to the general problem as well. When we deal with an object moving along a path, its position varies with time we can describe its position at any time by a single number, which can be the distance in some units from some fixed point on that path, called the origin of our coordinate system.

We add a sign to this distance, which will be negative if the object is behind the origin. The motion of the object is then characterized by the set of its numerical positions at relevant points in time.

The set of positions and times that we use to describe motion is what we call a function. And similar functions are used to describe the quantities of interest in all the systems to which calculus is applied. The course here starts with a review of numbers and functions and their properties. You are undoubtedly familiar with much of this, so we have attempted to add unfamiliar material to keep your attention while looking at it.

I would love to have you look at it, since I wrote it, but if you prefer not to, you could undoubtedly get by skipping it, and referring back to it when or if you need to do so. However you will miss the new information, and doing so could blight you forever. Though I doubt it. Far better, she says, to start by creating rich and social mathematical experiences that are complex allowing them to be taken in many different directions yet easy making them conducive to immediate play. At the free play level, you are learning in a very fundamental way—you really own your concept, mentally, physically, emotionally, culturally.

What is learned without play is qualitatively different. It helps with test taking and mundane exercises, but it does nothing for logical thinking and problem solving. Then comes the formal level, where students can use abstract words, graphs, and formulas. But ideally, a playful aspect is retained along the entire journey.

People are different, and people need to approach mathematics differently. For example, in a group learning about the properties of rhombuses, an artistically inclined person might prefer to draw a rhombus, a programmer might code one, a philosopher might discuss the essence of rhombi, and an origami master might fold a paper rhombus.

Many people live to a ripe and happy old age without knowing calculus, for example. Children need to be exposed to a variety of math styles to find the one that suits them best. From computing your GPA a weighted average to understanding how debt works compounding interest , math runs through most facets of our lives. Of course, neither of the things mentioned above are calculus. It depends on the kind of statistics.

At a very basic level, one example of calculus being used in statistics involves integrating over sections of a probability distribution. Lastly, one thing you should change is perception of how good you are at math. You can choose both if you want to major in Math and Statistics. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel.

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