Page 74 - Calculus Workbook For Dummies

In this part . . .

n this part, you begin calculus in earnest. Differentiation
Iis the first of the two big ideas in calculus (integration
is the second). With all the mystique surrounding calculus,
you may think that differentiation is as difficult a subject
as string theory or ancient Sanskrit. But differentiation is
simply the fancy calculus term for slope, which, as you
remember from algebra I, is just the steepness of a line.
Whenever possible, remind yourself that every problem
involving differentiation is really just a slope problem. In
Part III, you get differentiation basics, differentiation rules,
techniques for using the derivative to analyze the shape of
curves, and methods for solving practical problems with
the derivative.