Introduction Kepler's New Astronomy On HarmonyThe Calculus Part II Recommended Books

 

Calculus Without Limits

In an 1684 paper introducing his new type of mathematics, Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz gives the “following rules for the Calculus:”

Look confusing? Don't worry, we'll explain.

Leibniz discovered a system for finding the function that describes the rate of change of another function.

This means means that Leibniz could determine the rate of change of almost any function at each moment.

The rules of calculus are, at least for algebraic functions, surprisingly simple. To find the function that describes the rate of change of, for example:

simply follow Leibniz' "powers" rule, the first one above to get:

 

More coming soon :)

 

| About Us | Telescope Buying Guide Books |