Skip to main content

Learning About Archimedes of Syracuse in the History of Calculus

It's very easy to say that Isaac Newton introduced the wondrous tool of calculus. Maybe, learning how to implement physics into calculus. However, one can think that the history of mathematics is very long. As far as history permits, we can learn about the mathematics of the Greeks. A lot of ancient structures are a testament to the usage of engineering mathematics in ancient times.

From MacTutor, I would like to share this amazing fact about Archimedes of Syracuse with his amazing discovery:

Archimedes was the greatest mathematician of his age. His contributions in geometry revolutionised the subject and his methods anticipated the integral calculus. He was a practical man who invented a wide variety of machines including pulleys and the Archimidean screw pumping device.

At first, mathematics in the classroom feels dull and lifeless. I think it's because there's hardly any exposure to the applications. I felt that too that it was a dull mental exercise. I found in college that calculus is part of life, and all mathematics is part of life. The more I read history, the more I felt like I regret hating mathematics in my teenager years. Though, I still feel that the way mathematics is taught might be encouraging more hatred than love for such a wonderful subject. 

The calculus I'm familiar with is differential calculus. I'd like to do more research on integral calculus as I try to overcome my old-age fear of mathematics. Knowing history may help more students get more interested in the fascinating world of mathematics. 

Integral Calculus is the branch of calculus where we study integrals and their properties. Integration is an essential concept which is the inverse process of differentiation. Both the integral and differential calculus are related to each other by the fundamental theorem of calculus. In this article, you will learn what is integral calculus, why it is used, its types, formulas, examples, and applications of integral calculus in detail.

Now, for the applications:

Application of Integral Calculus

The important applications of integral calculus are as follows. Integration is applied to find:

  • The area between two curves
  • Centre of mass
  • Kinetic energy
  • Surface area
  • Work
  • Distance, velocity and acceleration
  • The average value of a function
  • Volume 

I can't exactly talk much about calculus. The area between two curves is used also in finances and economics. Granted, I'm no economist so I might need to read more about how it's used. Meanwhile, I'm here now trying to get more people who hate mathematics to actually like it. I overcame my hate for it. I believe that teaching about mathematics' long history and applications may slowly help overcome a phobia for it. 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is Your Favorite Source of Information "Trust Me Bro"?

It's something to think about Facebook comments section , right? I can't decide if I should allow unmoderated comments. The world of comments can be so annoying these days.   It's one thing if one comments for constructive criticism . However, one could really think about how many comments (even under Anonymous or troll accounts) are just there to derail. News about the Philippines' getting newer reforms such as more foreign direct investments (FDIs) have a lot of stupid comments too. I'm not surprised with comments such as, "It's Duterte's gift to China!" or "Allowing foreign telecommunication companies will risk our security!" When I ask for the sources on Facebook, I tend to get the argument that's as foolish as, "Trust me bro!" A lack of intelligence is one thing. It's another thing to ignore common sense. This meme makes me laugh at the pyramid of learning. Okay, I have a high school diploma during K+10. I soon had ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Today in History: Revisiting the Late Martin Ocampo's Demise

  An injustice for one is an injustice for the whole community . What people never thought that in their demand for blood--the wrong people were caught! It turns out that Francisco Juan "Paco" G. Larrañaga was in Quezon City when the Chiong sisters went missing (read here ). On October 7, 1999, the trial judge who had doubts about the body found in the ravine was found dead in Waterfront, Lapu-Lapu. The incident happened while I was still in my  second year of high school . There was not much access to the Internet back then nor was it viewed as a necessity, unlike today! Back then, I felt Ocampo was murdered. There was allegedly some hair sample that was his--probably his mistress. However, forensics expert Dr. Raquel Fortun has concluded it was suicide . Dr. Fortun also showed up in the documentary Give Up Tomorrow which highlights two things--a crime that remains unsolved and how Paco was wrongfully arrested. Paco admitted on Dong Puno Live that he and Josman Aznar have a ...
Post a Comment
Read more

My Experience with a Cataract and Laser Eye Surgery

What really scared me was when my left eye got blurred. At first, I was hoping it was just a dry eye. I had my check-up done. My worst fears were confirmed by my cloudy vision. I had a cataract but at age 37? It was pretty young. It was a developmental cataract or a developmental defect . I was told that there was no other choice but to have surgery. I was pretty scared. I decided it was time to really view cataract surgery and discover the amazing use of laser cataract surgery. It's a good thing I dismissed the bogus claims of cataract-dissolving drops.  Above is a sample video of what was shown in the hospital. I was nervous at first about what could happen. Having been told by the doctor (and will not disclose further details out of respect for the doctor's privacy) that it'll take faster than the manual surgery was a relief. I was willing to spend more on laser surgery rather than have the bladed procedure. I could say I was scared of the bladed procedure. I heard that ...
Post a Comment
Read more