In its largest aspect, the calculus functions as a celestial measuring tape, able to order the infinite expanse of the universe. Time and space are given names, points and limits; seemingly intractable problems of motion, growth and form are reduced to answerable questions.
A 'Tour of the Calculus' not only breathes life into the core mathematical principles and process of the calculus, but reveals as well its dazzling capacity to elucidate and explain. In language as clear and instructive as it is impassioned and lyrical, Berlinksi explains the meaning of real and rational numbers, the Mean Value Theorem, average speeds, the distance between points on a line, the limit of a function. But moving beyond the basics, he shows us in dramatic and original ways that the calculus is more than a mere system of mathematics; it is also an instrument commensurate with humankind's limitless capacity to question and theorise about its place in the universe.
