2k views

What is wrong with treating $\dfrac {dy}{dx}$ as a fraction? [duplicate]

If you think about the limit definition of the derivative, $dy$ represents $$\lim_{h\rightarrow 0}\dfrac {f(x+h)-f(x)}{h}$$, and $dx$ represents $$\lim_{h\rightarrow 0}$$ . So you have a ...
111 views

How is an infinitesimal $dx$ different from $\Delta x\,$? [duplicate]

When I learned calc, I was always taught $$\frac{df}{dx}= f'(x) = \lim_{h\rightarrow 0} \frac{f(x+h)-f(x)}{(x+h)-x}$$ But I have heard $dx$ is called an infinitesimal and I don't know what this ...
120 views

$dx=\frac {dx}{dt}dt$. Why is this equality true and what does it mean? [duplicate]

$dx=\frac {dx}{dt}dt$. I know that this deduction is obvious from the chain rule, given that we treat our dx and dt as just numbers. But I find it quite unsatisfactory to think of it in that sense. ...
140 views

$dy\over dx$ is one things but why in integration we can treat it as 2 different terms [duplicate]

when i am learning differentiation, my lectuer tell us that the deriative $dy\over dx$ is one things, it is not the ration between dy and dx. However when i learn about integrating, sometime we need ...
62 views

49k views

What is the practical difference between a differential and a derivative?

I ask because, as a first-year calculus student, I am running into the fact that I didn't quite get this down when understanding the derivative: So, a derivative is the rate of change of a function ...

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