# calculus

Pronunciation: US say "KAL-kyuh-luhs" /ˈkæl.kjə.ləs/; UK say "KAL-kyuu-luhs" /ˈkæl.kjʊ.ləs/

## Noun

1. The branch of mathematics made up of differential and integral calculus, treated as a single subject.
   - Simple: A part of math that studies how things change and how tiny pieces add up to make a whole.
   - _Engineering students have to pass calculus before they can start most of their core courses._
   - _Newton and Leibniz each developed the calculus on their own in the late 1600s._
2. A method for making decisions, especially one suited to a particular specialized field.
   - Simple: A way of deciding what to do, often one used in a special area like politics or business.
   - _The senator's political calculus shifted once the polls showed voters turning against the bill._
   - _Doctors face a grim moral calculus when there are more patients than ventilators._
3. Any formal system for working with symbolic expressions by applying a fixed set of rules.
   - Simple: A set of fixed rules for working with symbols, used in math and logic.
   - _In the predicate calculus, a proof is a sequence of formulas, each following from earlier ones by a stated rule._
   - _Process calculi give computer scientists a precise way to describe programs that run at the same time._
4. Mineral deposits of calcium phosphate salts that form on the surfaces of the teeth.
   - Simple: A hard layer of mineral salts that forms on your teeth.
   - _The hygienist removed a heavy buildup of calculus along the gum line._
   - _Calculus that forms below the gums can irritate the tissue and lead to gum disease._
5. A hard, stony mass that builds up inside one of the body's organs.
   - Simple: A hard lump like a stone that forms inside a part of the body.
   - _A single large calculus was blocking the salivary duct and had to be removed surgically._
   - _The ultrasound revealed several calculi lodged in the patient's gallbladder._

## Noun

6. The act or process of working out an amount or result with numbers. *(dated)*
   - Simple: Doing math to work out an amount or an answer.

## Origin

Latin calculus, a diminutive of calx ("limestone"), meant a pebble used as a counter on an abacus, and English borrowed it. The math meaning was taken from the term differential calculus.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/calculus (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).