Calculus

Varsity Tutors offers Calculus tutoring in St. Louis, Chicago and Houston. We'll help you gain a strong understanding of the material through one-on-one tutoring at your home, a library, a café or anywhere that might convenient for you. Our tutors will open up this exciting branch of mathematics to you, while at the same time making sure that you're not overwhelmed by some of its more difficult ideas.

What is Calculus?

Calculus is the important branch of mathematics which allows us to study change. When studying Calculus with a tutor from Varsity Tutors, you will learn about the derivative (which calculates the rate of change) and the integral (which calculates changes in accumulation) and the relationship between the two. Your tutor will familiarize you with these and other Calculus concepts, teach you how to apply them correctly so that you do well on your Calculus exams, and help you appreciate the beauty of this powerful branch of mathematics.

Why study Calculus?

Although the ideas of Calculus date back to the Egyptians, modern Calculus was co-invented by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and Sir Isaac Newton rather recently in the 17th century. Looked at one way, when compared to the other branches of math you've encountered in your studies, Calculus as we use it today is still a "baby." Yet, the invention of Calculus had a profound effect on scientific thought right away, one with rapid and far-reaching effects. In fact, it didn't take long for Calculus to have an effect on almost everything, from technology to data interpretation to beliefs about space and time.

You're probably wondering, why is Calculus so powerful? And how is it different from other math? In your studies of Algebra, Geometry, and Trigonometry, you've learned how to perform many useful calculations, such as plotting variables on a graph or calculating the area of a rectangle. These calculations are important, and you will need this knowledge for Calculus, but you've also probably noticed that they're only useful for certain situations. Such calculations generally took place in a flat plane, and the objects you studied didn't move or change. Or, if they did, they moved in a straight line or changed at a steady rate.

Calculus, on the other hand, is capable of describing the "real" world, a three-dimensional world of curves, irregular shapes, and constant changes in gravity, pressure, time, volume, and velocity. If regular math is like learning how to draw a cartoon of simple shapes, Calculus is like turning that knowledge into an animated movie. In fact, the realistic graphics and dazzling special effects in our videos game and movies today wouldn't be possible without Calculus. Studying Calculus with a Varsity Tutors's tutor can better prepare you to become part of these and other exciting technical fields.

Of course, the importance of Calculus goes far beyond entertainment, as you will quickly learn during your studies and your discussions with your tutor. An understanding of Calculus allows biomedical engineers to make heart valves, architects to build skyscrapers, and economists to track trends in the stock market, along with countless other uses in economics, medicine, physics, engineering, statistics, and computer science. In fact, the widespread use of Calculus in different fields and its effect on our daily lives should be good news to the beginning Calculus student. Millions of men and women have been able to master Calculus. With a little persistence, and with help from an experienced Calculus tutor from Varsity Tutors, you can learn Calculus, as well.

Call us today to find out more about our Calculus tutors.