Differentiation

In economics and other sciences, understanding how quantities change over time is essential. To model things like demand, growth, or trends, we use the concept of rate of change. This chapter revises the derivative, a key mathematical tool for describing how functions change. You’ll recall how to define and compute derivatives using core rules developed by Newton and Leibniz. Their work laid the foundation for differential calculus, which remains vital in both modern science and economic analysis.

This section is based on Chapter 6 of Essential Mathematics for Economic Analysis.