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derivative
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slope of a line slope of a curve
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Equations written on blackboard
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Italian-born physicist Dr. Enrico Fermi draws a diagram at a blackboard with mathematical equations. circa 1950.
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slope of a line
slope of a line Two points, such as (x0, y0) and (x1, y1), determine the slope of a straight line.

derivative

mathematics
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derivative, in mathematics, the rate of change of a function with respect to a variable. Derivatives are fundamental to the solution of problems in calculus and differential equations. In general, scientists observe changing systems (dynamical systems) to obtain the rate of change of some variable of interest, incorporate this information into some differential equation, and use integration techniques to obtain a function that can be used to predict the behaviour of the original system under...

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