IntroFoundations
Instantaneous Rate
Overview
What happens as the interval shrinks to zero? The average rate of change approaches the instantaneous rate — the derivative.
Key Concepts
1
Instantaneous rate = limit of the average rate as Δx → 0
2
Geometrically: the slope of the tangent line at a point
3
This is the central idea of differential calculus
See it in action
Use the interactive visualizer to explore this concept with real graphs.