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The term differential is used nonrigorously in calculus to refer to an infinitesimal ("infinitely small") change in some varying quantity. For example, if x is a variable, then a change in the value of x is often denoted Δ x (pronounced delta x ). The differential dx represents an infinitely small change in the variable x.
e. In calculus, the differential represents the principal part of the change in a function with respect to changes in the independent variable. The differential is defined by. where is the derivative of f with respect to , and is an additional real variable (so that is a function of and ). The notation is such that the equation.
Calculus. In mathematics, differential calculus is a subfield of calculus that studies the rates at which quantities change. [1] It is one of the two traditional divisions of calculus, the other being integral calculus —the study of the area beneath a curve. [2]
List. v. t. e. In mathematics, a differential equation is an equation that relates one or more unknown functions and their derivatives. [1] In applications, the functions generally represent physical quantities, the derivatives represent their rates of change, and the differential equation defines a relationship between the two.
In mathematics, an ordinary differential equation ( ODE) is a differential equation (DE) dependent on only a single independent variable. As with other DE, its unknown (s) consists of one (or more) function (s) and involves the derivatives of those functions. [1] The term "ordinary" is used in contrast with partial differential equations (PDEs ...
Differential operator. A harmonic function defined on an annulus. Harmonic functions are exactly those functions which lie in the kernel of the Laplace operator, an important differential operator. In mathematics, a differential operator is an operator defined as a function of the differentiation operator.
The derivative is a fundamental tool of calculus that quantifies the sensitivity of change of a function 's output with respect to its input. The derivative of a function of a single variable at a chosen input value, when it exists, is the slope of the tangent line to the graph of the function at that point. The tangent line is the best linear ...
In mathematics, differential algebra is, broadly speaking, the area of mathematics consisting in the study of differential equations and differential operators as algebraic objects in view of deriving properties of differential equations and operators without computing the solutions, similarly as polynomial algebras are used for the study of algebraic varieties, which are solution sets of ...