# Why is it called "the" calculus?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-the-calculus/95915>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 29, 2001, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-the-calculus/95915 "2001-11-29T14:13:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Lockz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Lockz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lockz)\
**Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-the-calculus/95915/21 "2001-11-29T22:38:58Z")

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Another Canadian student here …

I’m in my second year of learning calculus. Never have I heard it called “the” calculus, so I am assuming it is a local (European?) term. FTR, I learned calculus using limits, and have never learned of infintesimals (I’m in first year university).

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