See Also: Differential(finance)
differential(dictionary)
Differential(money)
Differential(medicine)
differential(encyclopedia)
Differential disclosure(money)
Differential swap(money)
threshold differential(medicine)
semantic differential(medicine)
Forward differential(money)

differential (sh)




In calculus, an expression based on the derivative of a function, useful for approximating certain values of the function.

The differential of an independent variable x, written ¦¤x, is an infinitesimal change in its value. The corresponding differential of its dependent variable y is given by ¦¤y/n=/nf(x/n+/n¦¤x)/n-/nf(x). Because the derivative of the function f(x), f¡ä(x), is equal to the ratio ¦¤y¦¤x as ¦¤x approaches zero (see limit), for small values of ¦¤x, ¦¤y/n?/nf¡ä(x)¦¤x. This formula often enables a quick and fairly accurate approximation to be made for what otherwise would be a tedious calculation.