NCEA Level 3 Calculus

Calculus is a branch of mathematics which helps us understand changes between values that are related by a function. For example, if you had one formula telling how much money you got every day, calculus would help you understand related formulas like how much money you have in total, and whether you are getting more money or less than you used to. All these formulas are functions of time, and so that is one way to think of calculus — studying functions of time.

There are two different types of calculus. Differential calculus divides things into small (different) pieces and tells us how they change from one moment to the next, while integral calculus joins (integrates) the small pieces together and tells us how much of something is made, overall, by a series of changes. Calculus is used in many different areas such as

Calculus is the mathematical study of continuous change, in the same way that geometry is the study of shape and algebra is the study of generalisations of arithmetic operations.

The Level 3 Calculus course is designed for students interested in physics, astronomy, biology, engineering, economics, architecture, medicine and sociology.