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Why Did Newton Invent Calculus

Newton developed calculus in an attempt to mathematically explain motion and rates of change, which helped him explain how planets move in ellipses and the force of gravity. Calculus has two branches - integrals and derivatives - and measures rates of change in phenomena. Newton used calculus to describe falling bodies and planetary motion. Calculus connects physics and mathematics by providing tools to model physical concepts and inspiring new areas of math. It is now used widely in science, engineering, economics and other fields to model real-world systems and optimize solutions.

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Saam Saak
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37 views

Why Did Newton Invent Calculus

Newton developed calculus in an attempt to mathematically explain motion and rates of change, which helped him explain how planets move in ellipses and the force of gravity. Calculus has two branches - integrals and derivatives - and measures rates of change in phenomena. Newton used calculus to describe falling bodies and planetary motion. Calculus connects physics and mathematics by providing tools to model physical concepts and inspiring new areas of math. It is now used widely in science, engineering, economics and other fields to model real-world systems and optimize solutions.

Uploaded by

Saam Saak
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Why did Newton invent calculus? How did it help him solve problems in physics?

Newton developed his calculus in an attempt to avoid the informal use of


infinitesimals in his calculations. He found that, using calculus, he could explain
how the planets move and why the planets' orbits are in ellipses. This is one of
Newton's breakthroughs: the gravitational force that keeps us on Earth is the
same force that makes the planets revolve around the sun and the moon revolve
around the earth. Calculus measures the rate of change that occurs in nearly
every phenomenon in the universe. There are two branches of calculus, integrals
and derivatives. The derived component of a mathematical function determines
the rate of change at a given point, while the integrals show the accumulation of
discrete values of a function over a range. Newton began by trying to describe
the velocity of a falling body. When he did this, he found that the falling speed of
the body increased every second, but there was no mathematical explanation for
this. The question of motion and rate of change had not yet been explored to a
great extent in the field of mathematics, so Newton saw a void that needed to be
filled. He began working on this immediately, incorporating planetary ellipses into
his theory in an attempt to explain the orbit of the planets. He found that, using
calculus, he could explain how the planets move and why the planets' orbits are
in ellipses. This is one of Newton's greatest ideas: that the force of gravity that
keeps us on Earth is the same force that makes the planets revolve around the
sun and the moon revolve around the earth.There are also other advanced
physics concepts that have relied on the use of calculus for further
breakthroughs. In many cases, one theory and discovery can serve as a
springboard for others to follow. For example, Albert Einstein would not have
been able to derive his famous and groundbreaking theory of relativity had it not
been for calculus. Relativity is about how space and time change in relation to
each other, and as a result calculus is central to the theory.In addition, calculus is
often used when collecting and analyzing data. Therefore, the social sciences
must rely heavily on calculus. For example, calculating things like trends in birth
rates and death rates would not be possible without the use of calculus.
Certainly, economic predictions and predictions make use of calculus to a great
extent. Economics would work in a very different way if we did not have calculus
and other important mathematical concepts and inventions to use in explaining
and predicting physical observations.
There is no end to the impact that Isaac Newton and his invention of calculus had
on the world.
How we are doing in calculus currently
We use calculus a lot in our daily life. Various fields such as engineering,
medicine, biological research, economics, architecture, space science,
electronics, statistics, and pharmacology all benefit from the use of calculus.
Although the average person does not solve calculus problems on a daily basis,
we use the technology and equipment developed by applying calculus in almost
every aspect of our lives. Calculus is used to determine the growth or shrinkage
and number of cells of a cancerous organ.

How calculus used in physics

The velocity is the rate of change of displacement. Let's look at a very simple
case. Ahmed is moving in a straight line at a constant speed of one meter per
second. This means that, for each second Ahmed travels, his displacement from
the starting position increases by 1 m.
● When the clock strikes zero, Ahmed is at x = 3 m. We call this his initial
displacement and write x0 = 3 m.
When the clock reads t = 2 s, Ahmed is at x = 5 m. So what is v?
Displacement has increased by 2 m, time has increased by 2 s, so v is

V= change in displacement/ change in time = 2m/2s = 1 ms^-1.


An aside for physicists: velocity is a vector, meaning it has direction as well as
magnitude. Here we can say that its velocity is 1 m/s, but its velocity is 1 m/s in
the right direction. In these examples we will only consider motion in a straight
line, so we can simply define direction as follows: positive velocity means going
to the right, and negative velocity means going to the left. By the way, the
magnitude of the velocity is called the velocity, which we can write in the form | v
| Velocity is scalar, and velocity is vector.

Calculus in mathematics
Calculus in mathematics is generally used in mathematical models to obtain optimal solutions
and thus helps in understanding changes between values associated with a function. Calculus
is broadly categorized into two different parts:
Differential Calculus cuts something into small pieces to find how it
changes.

Integral Calculus joins (integrates) the small pieces together to find how
much there is.

Differential Calculus example

The more rabbits we have the more baby rabbits we get.

Then those rabbits grow up and have babies too! The population will
grow faster and faster.

The important parts of this are:

● the population N at any time t


● the growth rate r
● the population's rate of change
● dN
● dt

dN/dt

as "how much the population changes as time changes, for any


moment in time".

Let us imagine the growth rate r is 0.01 new rabbits per week for
every current rabbit.

When the population is 1000, the rate of change

dN/dt

is then 1000×0.01 = 10 new rabbits per week.

But that is only true at a specific time, and doesn't include that the
population is constantly increasing. The bigger the population, the
more new rabbits we get!

When the population is 2000 we get 2000×0.01 = 20 new rabbits


per week, etc.
So it is better to say the rate of change (at any instant) is the growth
rate times the population at that instant:

dN/dt = rN

And that is a Differential Equation, because it has a function N(t) and


its derivative.

And how powerful mathematics is! That short equation says "the
rate of change of the population over time equals the growth rate
times the population".

How calculus connected physics and math

Mathematics and physics are two closely interrelated fields. For


physicists, mathematics is a tool used to answer questions. For
example, Newton invented calculus to help describe motion. For
mathematicians, physics can be a source of inspiration, with
theoretical concepts such as general relativity and quantum theory
providing an incentive for mathematicians to develop new tools.

Calculus in the future

Calculus studies the rate of change, meaning it studies things that


move. Objects in space, such as planets and stars, are constantly
moving, so knowing calculus is useful to astronauts when they travel
into space. Astronauts use calculus to determine how the spaceship
itself should move. For example, calculus is used to determine the
average velocity required for a spaceship to successfully reach space
from Earth. Calculus is important to astronauts because it affects
how they safely perform their jobs. Astronauts must rely on their
knowledge of calculus to ensure a successful takeoff from Earth, to
expertly steer their spacecraft, and to ensure a safe landing, often
without the luxury of a calculator! Miscalculations in any of these
cases could endanger the space crew. Astronauts, scientists and
billionaires who want to get to another planet like Mars are pretty
sure that calculus will play a huge role in their dream about people
living on other planets.
References

Works Cited

“The Applications of Calculus in Everyday Life (Uses & Examples).”

BYJU'S FutureSchool, 5 December 2021,

https://www.byjusfutureschool.com/blog/the-application-of-calculus-

in-everyday-life/. Accessed 19 March 2023.

Brockmeier, Erica K., and Eric Sucar. “Where math meets physics |

Penn Today.” Penn Today, 7 February 2020,

https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/where-math-meets-physics.

Accessed 19 March 2023.

“Calculus: Differentials and integrals.” Physclips.,

https://www.animations.physics.unsw.edu.au/jw/calculus.htm#varyin

g. Accessed 20 March 2023.

Stillwell, John Colin, and Richard S. Westfall. “Newton and Infinite

Series | Britannica.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 February 2023,

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Newton-and-Infinite-Series-

136828.2. Accessed 19 March 2023.

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