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What Is Calculus?
Overview
Calculus is the mathematics of change — velocities, accelerations, tangent lines, slopes, areas, volumes, and more. It differs fundamentally from precalculus: precalculus is static, calculus is dynamic. The key bridge between them is a single powerful idea: the limit.
Key Concepts
1
Constant velocity → precalculus; accelerating object → need calculus
2
Slope of a line → precalculus; slope of a curve → need calculus
3
Area of a rectangle → precalculus; area under a curve → need calculus
4
Calculus is a “limit machine”: precalculus math → limit process → derivative or integral
Explore Calculus Visually
Open the calculus visualizer to interact with derivatives, limits, and integrals.