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difference quotient noun

  • (geometry) The slope of the secant line passing through the points \left( a, \, f(a) \right) and \left( a+h, \, f(a+h) \right). As the horizontal distance h>0 between the points approaches zero, the slope of this secant line approaches the slope of the tangent line to f(x) at x=a, which is equal to the derivative of f(x) at x=a.
 quotient des différences, quotient des variations
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