Fluent (mathematics)
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A fluent is a time-varying quantity or variable.[1] The term was used by Isaac Newton in his early calculus to describe his form of a function.[2] The concept was introduced by Newton in 1665 and detailed in his mathematical treatise, Method of Fluxions.[3] Newton described any variable that changed its value as a fluent – for example, the velocity of a ball thrown in the air. The derivative of a fluent is known as a fluxion, the main focus of Newton's calculus. A fluent can be found from its corresponding fluxion through integration.[4]
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References
[edit]- ^ Newton, Sir Isaac (1736). The Method of Fluxions and Infinite Series: With Its Application to the Geometry of Curve-lines. Henry Woodfall; and sold by John Nourse. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
- ^ Fluent (mathematics) at the Encyclopædia Britannica
- ^ Weisstein, Eric W. "Fluent". MathWorld.
- ^ "Isaac Newton (1642-1727)". www.mhhe.com. Retrieved 6 March 2017.