Learn calculus with online courses and programs

What is calculus?

Calculus is a branch of mathematics that studies rates of change and areas around curves. From animations to software applications, calculus and its formulas can be found all around us.

Differential calculus involves derivatives, which measure a function’s rate of change at a specific point.¹ For example, stock analysts can use derivatives to speculate whether a certain stock will rise or fall in a specific time period.

By contrast, integral calculus involves the measurement of infinitesimal quantities.² An integral represents an area under a curve on a graph. You can use integral calculus to determine the length of cable needed to connect two electrical substations, with distance represented by a certain function. In a sense, derivatives and integrals are opposites. Together, they form the field of calculus.

In the late 17th century, Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz introduced the concept of calculus independently of one another. Newton’s laws of motion and gravitation are two popular examples of the earliest concepts that led to the development of calculus. Calculus was continually developed over the following centuries, laying the foundation for modern mathematical explorations and physics as we know it.

Today, calculus has countless applications across disciplines and is commonly used in the hard sciences and technical fields such as chemical or environmental engineering. Employers need candidates with strong calculus skills in a variety of industries, including:

• Medicine: applies calculus formulas to understand relationships between patients and drug absorption, measure organ function, or analyze images.

• Biological research: relies on calculations to project the growth or decay of bacteria colonies, or to monitor how a patient’s temperature changes as a direct result of a particular medication.

• Economics: helps lenders calculate the amount of interest to be paid on a loan, business owners increase profits, or manufacturers understand how work hours impact productivity.³

• Architecture: uses calculus to create scale models, design a symmetrical structure, or achieve balance.⁴

If you want to work in a field that requires knowledge of this branch of mathematics, an online calculus course can help you expand your mathematical skills.