Fundamental theorem of calculus

The fundamental theorem of calculus is a theorem that links the concept of differentiating a function (calculating its slopes, or rate of change at each point in time) with the concept of integrating a function (calculating the area under its graph, or the cumulative effect of small contributions). Roughly speaking, the two operations can be thought of as inverses of each other.

The first part of the theorem, the first fundamental theorem of calculus, states that for a continuous function f , an antiderivative or indefinite integral F can be obtained as the integral of f over an interval with a variable upper bound.[1]

Conversely, the second part of the theorem, the second fundamental theorem of calculus, states that the integral of a function f over a fixed interval is equal to the change of any antiderivative F between the ends of the interval. This greatly simplifies the calculation of a definite integral provided an antiderivative can be found by symbolic integration, thus avoiding numerical integration.

  1. ^ Weisstein, Eric W. "First Fundamental Theorem of Calculus". mathworld.wolfram.com. Retrieved 2024-04-15.