Rates of Change and the Derivative (9/16/2008)

1. Main Points
In this reading assignment we were introduced to what is behind the concept of the derivative of a function. Basically, the derivative of a function is defined as the instantaneous rate of change of that function at that particular point.

2. Challenging
What I found challenging about this passage was the concept of the limit of average rates of change when defining instantaneous rate of change. I have always thought that the use of limits and the reason why to be a little hard, maybe you could go over that in class?

3. Most Interesting
Instantaneous velocity has always been pretty cool to think about for me. I took physics this summer and did many such calculations under different conditions, again it's interesting to see how the sciences always seem to blend together! The concepts of instantaneous rate of change I realize have far-reaching applications.