Mathematics
What is Calculus?
Calculus is the mathematics of continuous change. It has two halves: differential calculus (rates of change, slopes) and integral calculus (accumulation, areas). It powers physics, engineering, economics, and more.
See it, don’t just read it.
Watch a 2-minute lesson with voice + animation that explains calculus.
Key things to understand
- 1Derivatives measure how fast something changes (e.g., speed = change in position).
- 2Integrals add up tiny pieces to find totals (e.g., area, or distance from speed).
- 3The two are linked by the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.
- 4It was developed independently by Newton and Leibniz.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a derivative?
- A measure of an instantaneous rate of change — the slope of a curve at a point.
- What is an integral?
- A way to add up infinitely many tiny pieces to get a total, like the area under a curve.
- Why is calculus useful?
- It describes motion, growth, and change, underpinning physics, engineering, economics, and machine learning.