Professor Daniel Kleitman, Emeritus Professor of Applied Mathematics at MIT

Calculus for Beginners and Artists

From Chapter 1 What is Calculus and Why do we Study it? “Calculus is the study of how things change. It provides a framework for modeling systems in which there is change, and a way to deduce the predictions of such models…It provides a way for us to construct relatively simple quantitative models of change, and to deduce their consequences.”

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MIT Open Courseware

Big Picture of Calculus

“Calculus is about change. One function tells how quickly another function is changing. Professor Strang of MIT shows how calculus applies to ordinary life situations.”

Follow the links to find textbook and study guide.

Calculus is required to find any properties of an orbit, for example where an object will be at a given time, or how fast it is travelling at a given position.