Conversation

Someone: What is calculus useful for?

Me: Calculus is the study of change. The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus compares the instantaneous rate of change, like speed, with cumulative progress, like the total distance traveled.

Covid is another example. We saw reports of new cases every day (change). We also saw data giving us the total (cumulative) numbers of people who got COVID over a week, a month, a year. Calculus allows us to convert back and forth between the daily numbers and the total numbers. #math