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It's demonstrating how to find the line that passes through two points x=a, x=b on the function y=f(x). Without having read the actual page, I assume he's goin
by llamaz 7y ago
It's demonstrating how to find the line that passes through two points x=a, x=b on the function y=f(x).
Without having read the actual page, I assume he's going to move a and b close to eachother to approximate the tangent of the function at a point.
edit: In higher level math, you use circles/spheres or parabolas/paraboloids to approximate functions, but in high school level calculus you stick to using a straight line to approximate a function
- kstenerud 7y agoUnfortunately, he doesn't do that. There's an even more complicated formula under that which is supposed to be related to the slope of some line and a ratio between b and a (I think?) and then I'm guessing he reduces it, but doesn't explain how he did it. I've tried learning calculus 3-4 times during my life, using materials for an "absolute beginner", and this has always been my experience, as if one were teaching programming by going from "This is a variable. It can store data." directly to "A monad is a monoid in the category of endofunctors." To this day I have no idea what calculus even is, or what it's for.