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In mathematics, a rate is the quotient of two quantities, often represented as a fraction. [1] If the divisor (or fraction denominator) in the rate is equal to one expressed as a single unit, and if it is assumed that this quantity can be changed systematically (i.e., is an independent variable), then the dividend (the fraction numerator) of the rate expresses the corresponding rate of change ...
For example, the derivative (rate of change) of a constant function is zero. This is because constants, by definition, do not change. Their derivative is hence zero. Conversely, when integrating a constant function, the constant is multiplied by the variable of integration.
Change of variables is an operation that is related to substitution. However these are different operations, as can be seen when considering differentiation or integration (integration by substitution). A very simple example of a useful variable change can be seen in the problem of finding the roots of the sixth-degree polynomial:
The quantity grows at a rate directly proportional to its present size. For example, when it is 3 times as big as it is now, it will be growing 3 times as fast as it is now. In more technical language, its instantaneous rate of change (that is, the derivative) of a quantity with respect to an independent variable is proportional to the quantity ...
In multivariable calculus, the directional derivative measures the rate at which a function changes in a particular direction at a given point. [citation needed]The directional derivative of a multivariable differentiable (scalar) function along a given vector v at a given point x intuitively represents the instantaneous rate of change of the function, moving through x with a direction ...
A percentage change is a way to express a change in a variable. It represents the relative change between the old value and the new one. [6]For example, if a house is worth $100,000 today and the year after its value goes up to $110,000, the percentage change of its value can be expressed as = = %.
The variable y is directly proportional to the variable x with proportionality constant ~0.6. The variable y is inversely proportional to the variable x with proportionality constant 1. In mathematics, two sequences of numbers, often experimental data, are proportional or directly proportional if their corresponding elements have a constant ratio.
A variable may denote an unknown number that has to be determined; in which case, it is called an unknown; for example, in the quadratic equation ax 2 + bx + c = 0, the variables a, b, c are parameters, and x is the unknown. Sometimes the same symbol can be used to denote both a variable and a constant, that is a well defined mathematical object.