Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
Why area-so-far recovers the integrand · BC Calculus · greeting
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A(x) = ∫ₐˣ f(t) dt"area so far"If f continuous,A′(x) = f(x)
Owl: Define a running total: let A(x) be the signed area under a continuous rate curve f from a fixed start a up to a moving right edge x. As you slide x, A grows or shrinks. Surprisingly, the derivative A′(x) brings f back — the original rate. Differentiating "area so far" recovers the integrand. That is half of the Fundamental Theorem. The other half says a definite integral ∫ₐᵇ f equals F(b) − F(a) for any antiderivative F. Why should accumulation and antidifferentiation be two faces of the same idea — and what continuity assumptions quietly sit underneath?
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