CHAPTER1
What Is Calculus, Anyway?
In This Chapter
- Why calculus is useful
- The historic origins of calculus
- The authorship controversy
- Can I ever learn this?
The word calculus can mean one of two things: a computational method or a mineral growth in a hollow organ of the body, such as a kidney stone. Either definition personifies the pain and anguish often endured by students trying to understand the subject. It is far from controversial to suggest that mathematics is not the most popular of subjects in contemporary education; in fact, calculus holds the great distinction of King of the Evil Math Realm, especially by the math phobic. It represents ...
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