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Chapter 3 | Derivatives
well. In this chapter, we explore one of the main tools of calculus, the derivative, and show convenient ways to calculate derivatives. We apply these rules to a variety of functions in this chapter so that we can then explore applications of these techniques. 3.1 | Defining the Derivative Learning Objectives 3.1.1 Recognize the meaning of the tangent to a curve at a point. 3.1.2 Calculate the slope of a tangent line.
3.1.3 Identify the derivative as the limit of a difference quotient. 3.1.4 Calculate the derivative of a given function at a point. 3.1.5 Describe the velocity as a rate of change. 3.1.6 Explain the difference between average velocity and instantaneous velocity. 3.1.7 Estimate the derivative from a table of values.
Now that we have both a conceptual understanding of a limit and the practical ability to compute limits, we have established the foundation for our study of calculus, the branch of mathematics in which we compute derivatives and integrals. Most mathematicians and historians agree that calculus was developed independently by the Englishman Isaac Newton (1643–1727) and the German Gottfried Leibniz (1646–1716), whose images appear in Figure 3.2 . When we credit Newton and Leibniz with developing calculus, we are really referring to the fact that Newton and Leibniz were the first to understand the relationship between the derivative and the integral. Both mathematicians benefited from the work of predecessors, such as Barrow, Fermat, and Cavalieri. The initial relationship between the two mathematicians appears to have been amicable; however, in later years a bitter controversy erupted over whose work took precedence. Although it seems likely that Newton did, indeed, arrive at the ideas behind calculus first, we are indebted to Leibniz for the notation that we commonly use today.
Figure 3.2 Newton and Leibniz are credited with developing calculus independently.
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