The Greek mathematician Archimedes was the first to find the tangent to a curve, other than a circle, in a method akin to differential calculus. While studying the spiral, he separated a point’s motion into two components, one radial motion component and one circular motion component, and then continued to add the two component motions together thereby finding the tangent to the curve.

In 499, the Indian mathematician-astronomer Aryabhata used a notion of infinitesimals and expressed an astronomical problem in the form of a basic differential equation.

Manjula, in the 10th century, elaborated on this differential equation in a commentary. This equation eventually led Bhāskara II in the 12th century to develop the concept of a derivative representing infinitesimal change, and he described an early form of "Rolle's theorem".

In the late 12th century, the Persian mathematician, Sharaf al-Dīn al-Tūsī, introduced the idea of a function. Sharaf al-Dīn was also the first to discover the derivative of cubic polynomials.

In the 15th century, an early version of the mean value theorem was first described by Parameshvara (1370–1460) from the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics in his commentaries on Govindasvāmi and Bhaskara II.

In 17th century Europe, Isaac Barrow, Pierre de Fermat, Blaise Pascal, John Wallis and others discussed the idea of a derivative.

Derivatives started from…

(Quoted from The History of the Calculus and Its Conceptual Development by Carl B. Boyer)



Some words from the group members…

Turning back to our SHORT, SUCCINCT and COMPREHENSIVE webpage, we would like to drive you to further applications of Derivatives and also provide you with some proofs of Derivatives of trigonometric, exponential and logarithmic functions which you have not been gone through yet.

Taking notes that the webpage contains the EXTENSIONS of the concept/topics chosen in order to deserve to be the Kingdom of Derivatives?!!? (_ _!) ^_^

Enjoy your journey!!!