Sal defines the term derivative by taking the listener on a well-organized tour of the slope. First, he reviews the concept of the slope of a line from algebra, then extends this idea to look at the slope of the curve by first examining a second line to the curve and then using our knowledge of limits, defining the limit as _x approaches zero to get the slope of the tangent line to the curve. Along with the video, there is an interesting practice module that models the connection between the slopes of the tangent lines and the derivative of a function.

Concepts

derivatives, differential calculus, slope, tangent lines

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Additional Tags

Calculus, derivative, slope, tangent line, differential calculus, math

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Classroom Considerations

• This video is hosted on YouTube