“All the little bits”

  • UNY0N@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    Yes, that’s the whole point of calculus. It’s useful for finding x if you don’t have other easier ways to do so.

    Here’s an example of how dividing the area under a curve up into smaller and smaller bits helps to find a value for the area.

    • I Cast Fist@programming.dev
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      7 months ago

      I mean, the idea is simple enough to understand. The actual execution is what fucks idiots like me, especially when the exam is full of shit like integral sin(e ^ (x^2 * cos(e)) * tan(sqrt 5x)

      • frezik
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        7 months ago

        That’s been an argument among educators. You can teach the basic concepts of Calculus to a fourth grader. What makes it difficult is rigor, but we don’t necessarily need to teach rigor to fourth graders.