What Is Calculus

What is Calculus?

A definition found of calculus in a dictionary was this; a method of computation or calculation in a special notation (as of logic or symbolic logic). The historical perspective of calculus is that people had a problem in finding areas and finding tangent lines. The thing that was discovered to figure these problems out was calculus. Some influential people in the development of calculus were Isaac Newton (1642-1727), and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716). Isaac Newton is considered on of the most influential men in the development of calculus. Newton at first kept all his discoveries to himself. He feared that people would not accept his work and disagree with them. He wrote one of the most important scientific books of all time, Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica. It took the work of another man to finally convince him to publish his work on calculus, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. Leibniz is another influential man in the history of calculus. He taught himself mathematics. Leibniz accomplished what Newton did, but was not recognized for his work as much as Newton was.

Calculus is important in my major of Biomedical engineering because there are many machines that are made possible for humans benefit. MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is made possible for looking at internal tissues of the human body. Another example would be controlling chaotic behavior in the human heart. I think that calculus will be very helpful in my major, so it is important for me to understand it as best as I can.

I think that the class is going at a fast pace. I have to study a lot to keep up. It seems that lately I understand it, but on the last exam I made stupid mistakes. I need to get more practice done. I like the way you make us read the up coming sections. I get a better feel of what is being covered in class.

I find limits to be interesting to me. I sort of understood them, but I still have some problems in grasping the idea.