Calculus

Calculus as the math of motion and change; while basic math deals with static objects, calculus uses derivatives to measure how fast something is changing at a specific moment and integrals to add up those tiny changes to find a total result, like distance or area.

The word "calculus" comes from the Latin for "small stone", referring to the pebbles used on an abacus. 

Mathematics involving infinitesimals dates back to ancient Greece, where Archimedes developed early methods for computing areas and volumes. 

The Babylonians were using a rudimentary form of calculus to calculate Jupiter's displacement each day along the ecliptic, the path that the sun appears to trace through the stars. Historians had thought such techniques did not emerge until more than 1,400 years later, in 14th-century Europe. 

On November 11, 1675, Gottfried Leibniz demonstrated integral calculus for the first time, finding the area under the graph of y = ƒ(x). Isaac Newton independently developed his own form of calculus around the same time, and the two men became embroiled in a bitter priority dispute. Leibniz is credited with introducing much of the notation still used in calculus today. 

Leibniz at his candlelit desk writing the integral calculus notation on parchment.

Nikola Tesla was able to do integral calculus in his head, leading his teachers to believe he was cheating. 

Calculus as a formal discipline underpins much of modern science and engineering, from calculating planetary orbits to modelling the spread of disease.