Demystification of Calculus Explained in 20 Minutes

Kooky Science, with the help of an animated narrator, demystified the very complicated subject of calculus, by breaking it into simple, bite-sized pieces using examples from the real world.

Calculus has been scaring students since the invention of homework. The moment someone hears the word, their brain starts imagining numbers, letters, squiggly symbols, and headaches. But what if I told you that calculus isn’t some mystical math monster? It’s just a set of tools humans invented to deal with change and motion. That’s it.

They also explain how integrals and derivatives affect everyday life over the course of twenty minutes. This incredibly limited list includes driving, flying, pouring a drink, video streaming, computers, medical research, and far many others examples of life in motion.

Derivatives tell you how fast or how steep something is moment by moment. Integrals tell you how much you’ve got when you zoom out and look at everything that’s built up. Put them together and you’ve got a way to describe motion, shape, flow, and change in a language the universe seems to understand. …But while you’re busy doinglife, calculus is in the background, quietly running the systems that keep the modern world spinning.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.