B
Bob Myers
- Jan 1, 1970
- 0
I'm not going to say you will ever learn calculus from a few
posts in a newsgroup - that's not going to happen - but a
couple of things you can keep in mind which might help with
things like the above example.
When you see "d(something)/dt" in an equation or textbook,
read it as "how quickly (something) is changing" (in time, which
is what the "dt" part is about). So "dv/dt" is simply "how quickly
voltage (v) is changing."
Also, always keep in mind that whenever you see an equation, it
is really just a shorthand way of expressing a concept that
COULD be said in plain English (it usually is a lot more efficient
to write it out as an equation - in "math language," in other
words - but these sorts of things really are just a compact
means of describing what's going on). So something like
I = C * dv/dt
isn't just some mysterious collection of symbols, it should be
READ as (in this particular case):
"The current through a capacitor (I) depends on how
big the capacitor is (its capacitance, C), and how quickly
the voltage across it (v) is changing."
A lot longer, but a lot clearer for people who aren't all that
comfortable dealing with "the math."
Bob M.
