Calculus is Latin for stone, and the ancient Romans used stones for counting and

arithmetic. In its most basic sense, calculus is just that – a form of counting. After
advanced algebra and geometry, it is the next step in higher mathematics, and is used
for solving complex problems that regular mathematics cannot complete.

Calculus was developed by two different men in the seventeenth century. Gottfried
Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716), a self-taught German mathematician, and Isaac Newton
(1642-1727), an English scientist, both developed calculus in the 1680s. While Leibniz
invented it ten years later than Newton, he published his findings twenty years earlier,
and that overlap led to decades of controversy about which man reached his
conclusions first. Today it is generally agreed that both men developed calculus
independently.

Calculus is the mathematics of change, of calculating problems that are continually

evolving. This is possible by breaking such problems into infinitesimal steps, solving
each of those steps, and adding all the results. Rather than doing each step individually,
calculus allows these computations to be done simultaneously.

Both differential and integral calculus are useful to a wide variety of careers. The
examples below are only a fraction of the ways professionals regularly use calculus.

In economics, calculus allows for the determination of maximal profit by providing a way
to easily calculate both marginal cost and marginal revenue. Credit card companies use
calculus to set the minimum payments due on credit card statements at the exact time
the statement is processed by considering multiple variables such as changing interest
rates and a fluctuating available balance.

In the realm of medicine, calculus can be used to find the optimal branching angle of a
blood vessel so as to maximize flow. Biologists use differential calculus to determine the
exact rate of growth in a bacterial culture when different variables such as temperature
and food source are changed. This research can help increase the rate of growth of
necessary bacteria, or decrease the rate of growth for harmful and potentially
threatening bacteria.
An architect will use integration to determine the amount of materials necessary to
construct a curved dome over a new sports arena, as well as calculate the weight of
that dome and determine the type of support structure required. Integral calculus, or
integration, deals with areas and volumes of complex figures, such as determining the
greatest amount of space or volume beneath a dome in a stadium design in order to
incorporate as many seats as possible. To find the area beneath a curve, integration
breaks the area beneath the curve into minute pieces, determines the area of each
piece, and adds them all together, or integrates them, into a final answer. There are two
primary branches of calculus: differential calculus and integral calculus. Differential
calculus, or differentiation, is used primarily to determine the slope or steepness of a
curve, also called a curve’s derivative. Slope is a rate of change in a curve – a very
steep curve is changing very fast – and calculus is used when a curve is very
complicated, such as calculating the slope of a mountain or the speed of a roller
coaster.

Space flight engineers frequently use calculus when planning lengthy missions. To
launch an exploratory probe, they must consider the different orbiting velocities of the
Earth and the planet the probe is targeted for, as well as other gravitational influences
like the sun and the moon. Calculus allows each of those variables to be accurately
taken into account.

Statisticians will use calculus to evaluate survey data to help develop business plans for
different companies. Because a survey involves many different questions with a range
of possible answers, calculus allows a more accurate prediction for appropriate action.

Physics makes particular use of calculus; all concepts in classical mechanics are
interrelated through calculus. The mass of an object of known density, the moment of
inertia of objects, as well as the total energy of an object within a conservative field can
be found by the use of calculus. A physicist uses calculus to find the center of mass of a
sports utility vehicle to design appropriate safety features that must adhere to federal
specifications on different road surfaces and at different speeds. A more historical
example of the use of calculus in physics is Newton's second law of motion, it expressly
uses the term "rate of change" which refers to the derivative: The rate of change of
momentum of a body is equal to the resultant force acting on the body and is in the
same direction. Even the common expression of Newton's second law as
Force = Mass × Acceleration involves differential calculus because acceleration can be
expressed as the derivative of velocity. Calculus allows a precise figure to be
determined. In the subfields of electricity and magnetism calculus can be used to find
the total flux of electromagnetic fields. Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism and
Einstein's theory of gravity (general relativity) are also expressed in the language of
differential calculus, as is the basic theory of electrical circuits and much of engineering.
An electrical engineer uses integration to determine the exact length of power cable
needed to connect two substations that are miles apart. Because the cable is hung from
poles, it is constantly curving. Chemistry also uses calculus in determining reaction
rates and radioactive decay

An operations research analyst will use calculus when observing different processes at
a manufacturing corporation. By considering the value of different variables, they can
help a company improve operating efficiency, increase production, and raise profits.

A graphics artist uses calculus to determine how different three-dimensional models will
behave when subjected to rapidly changing conditions. This can create a realistic
environment for movies or video games.

Obviously, a wide variety of careers regularly use calculus. Universities, the military,
government agencies, airlines, entertainment studios, software companies, and
construction companies are only a few employers who seek individuals with a solid
knowledge of calculus. Even doctors and lawyers use calculus to help build the
discipline necessary for solving complex problems, such as diagnosing patients or
planning a prosecution case. Despite its mystique as a more complex branch of
mathematics, calculus touches our lives each day, in ways too numerous to calculate.

Many of the functions that are integrated represent densities. If, for example, the
pollution density along a river (tons per mile) is known in relation to the position, then
the integral of that density can determine how much pollution there is in the whole
length of the river.

Another example of integration would be determining the exact volume of water

necessary to fill a wading pool in a zoo exhibit. The pool may have varying depths and
irregular edges, and it would be extremely difficult to determine how much water is
needed without being able to use the infinite sums that integration calculates.