Students who take the law exam for their calculus class should take a course on derivatives as a requirement. A good choice of this course will give them a firm foundation to build from if they need to study for the exams. Differential calculus has some of the most basic and easiest derivatives to work with. They are also quite possibly the least confusing for the student.
Most people are familiar with some derivatives such as the curl, parabola and rectangle. However there are many more examples of derivatives which may not be familiar to many students. In order to make sure that the student fully understands the concepts of derivatives, it will be necessary to have examples along with the text. A website like Google Maps can provide links to different places worldwide where a student can find derivatives demonstrations or even see actual maps showing derivative values.
Before any discussion on derivatives can begin, it will be necessary to establish what these things are and how they interact. For instance let’s start with the most popular one, the curl. The curl is a particular function that when graphed out shows what the tangent line is in relation to the x-axis. We can plot this by using a function called the cotangent function. The tangent functions are also well known and can be plotted as well.
A parabola is a parabolic shape, so the tangent will also be a parabolic shape. It is not difficult to see the usefulness of derivatives in calculus. By definition a parabola is a closed curve where every tangent has a corresponding area. There are many different types of parabola, so it will be necessary to memorize which type of parabola will be needed for the problem at hand. Calculus examples in textbooks often use parabola illustrations where they fit a parabola onto the horizontal axis of a function or uses a parabola that can be inscribed onto the horizontal axis as well.
A Greek cone is another useful addition to any student’s arsenal of derivatives examples. A Greek cone is a surface that is a closed surface but allows for some angle or bending. In calculus this is useful for determining the area on the top of a closed cone. Any angle that a function can be plotted on will allow for the surface to be covered by the cone. Students will need to be careful though not to use too much of their time on calculations involving angles as these will slow down the process of learning.
A parabola that is inscribed on a plane can also be used in calculus. The parabola can be plotted on the x-axis, y-axis, or any other plane. The parabola is used to find the tangent of the equation. The student should try to memorize as many parabola diagrams as possible because there are an excessive amount of them within any subject in calculus.
It should not be too difficult to understand the concepts of derivatives when a student starts out using various calculus examples. A good instructor will be able to answer any questions regarding derivatives quickly and efficiently. Understanding calculus with an instructor that specializes in the subject will make it easier for a student to learn all of the elements involved in this important topic.
