integral calculus

American  

noun

1. the branch of mathematics that deals with integrals, especially the methods of ascertaining indefinite integrals and applying them to the solution of differential equations and the determining of areas, volumes, and lengths.

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integral calculus British  

noun

1. the branch of calculus concerned with the determination of integrals and their application to the solution of differential equations, the determination of areas and volumes, etc Compare differential calculus

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integral calculus Scientific  

1. The study of integration and its uses, such as in calculating areas bounded by curves, volumes bounded by surfaces, and solutions to differential equations.

2. Compare calculus of variations differential calculus

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Etymology

Origin of integral calculus

First recorded in 1720–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

integral calculus

In general, integral calculus is needed to find the area under the curve for many probability density functions.

From Textbooks ● Nov. 29, 2017

The topic of infinite series may seem unrelated to differential and integral calculus.

From Textbooks ● Mar. 30, 2016

Formulas for the areas and volumes of geometric figures were surprisingly easy to obtain using this principle, which was a precursor of integral calculus.

From New York Times ● Apr. 7, 2014

The brain continuously slurps up huge amounts of energy for an organ of its size, regardless of whether we are tackling integral calculus or clicking through the week's top 10 LOLcats.

From Scientific American ● Jul. 18, 2012

He occupied himself by inventing the differential and integral calculus, making fundamental discoveries on the nature of light and laying the foundation for the theory of universal gravitation.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan