Calculus in the News

Most of the headlines and/or article excerpts below can be interpreted in terms of first and second derivatives. For copyright reasons, only brief excerpts of each article are included. The paragraphs were chosen to illustrate the mathematical issues.

Questions to ask yourself:

  1. Credit woes rising, but at lower rate  jpg
    Atlanta Journal Constitution, October 30, 1991
     
  2. CD yields continue decline, but at a reduced pace  jpg
    Atlanta Journal Constitution, April 24, 1991
     
  3. First American continues losing, though not as badly  jpg
    Atlanta Journal Constitution, October 31, 1991
     
  4. The rate of increase is decreasing...  jpg
    Shoe cartoon, December 7, 1991
     
  5. Rate of marriage continues decline  jpg  
    The New York Times, July 17, 1992
     
  6. The goal of a diet isn't losing weight, it's slowing down the gain  jpg
    Garfield cartoon, July 24, 1992
     
  7. Teen birth rates take first dip since '86  jpg
    Atlanta Journal Constitution, 1992
     
  8. Decline of ozone-harming chemicals suggests atmosphere may heal itself  jpg
    Washington Post, August 26, 1993
     
  9. Congress is getting serious about rules for derivatives  jpg
    Wall Street Journal, November 23, 1993
     
  10. College Board Survey Finds Tuition and Fees Increase at Slower Pace in 1993-94  jpg
    College Board newsletter, 1993
     
  11. Mortgage rates still climbing, but pace slows  jpg
    Atlanta Journal Constitution, April 8, 1994
     
  12. Tech sector still strong, but growth decelerating  jpg
    Atlanta Journal Constitution, January 14, 1996
     
  13. Boards add women at slower pace  gif
    Atlanta Journal Constiution, December 12, 1996
     
  14. Position/velocity/acceleration problem  jpg
    For Better or For Worse cartoon, January 15, 1998
     
  15. Decline in traditional families slowing  jpg
    Atlanta Journal Constitution, May 28, 1998
     
  16. Gas price hikes hit the brakes  jpg
    CNN.com, October 11, 1998
     
  17. September figures show continued growth, though at a slower rate  jpg
    CNNfn.com, November 3, 1998
     
  18. Slide of Internet stocks speeds up  jpg
    Atlanta Journal Constitution, August 5, 1999
     
  19. Inmate numbers rise, but at slower rate  jpg
    The Boston Globe, August 16, 1999
     
  20. Decline in AIDS deaths slows dramatically  jpg
    CNN.com, August 30, 1999
     
  21. Metro housing starts rise, but growth rate slowing  jpg
    Atlanta Journal Constitution, September 17, 1999
     
  22. Torrid school enrollment rates cool off  jpg
    Atlanta Journal Constitution, January 1, 2000
     
  23. U.S. gasoline price increase slowing, survey finds  jpg
    CNN.com, June 25, 2000
     
  24. U.S. growth expected to continue, but at slower pace  jpg
    Atlanta Journal Constitution, October 1, 2000
     
  25. Ultra seeks high-quality companies that are growing at an accelerating rate   jpg
    American Century report, 2000
     
  26. China Growth rate slowing  jpg
    Atlanta Journal Constitution, March 28, 2001
     
  27. U.S. kids getting fatter at faster rate  jpg
    Atlanta Journal Constitution, December 11, 2001
     
  28. The Increase in Chip Speed is Accelerating, Not Slowing   jpg
    The New York Times, February 4, 2002
     
  29. Hartsfield's drop in passengers appears to have decelerated   jpg
    Atlanta Journal Constitution, April 17, 2003
     
  30. Ozone layer shows first signs of recovery  jpg
    Atlanta Journal Constitution, July 30, 2003
     
  31. Carbon dioxide in air at record high  jpg
    Atlanta Journal Constitution, March 20, 2004
     
  32. The growth in low-carbohydrate products is slowing  jpg
    Atlanta Journal Constitution, August 18, 2004
     
  33. Braves' gate hits dropoff  jpg
    Atlanta Journal Constitution, September 26, 2004
     
  34. Increased football injury risk  jpg
    Sports Illustrated, October 11, 2004
     
  35. September consumer prices pick up momentum  jpg
    Associate Press (Yahoo! News), October 19, 2004
     
  36. College costs rise at slower rate  jpg
    Associated Press (Yahoo! News), October 19 2004
     
  37. Public university tuition is up sharply for 2004  jpg
    New York Times Education Section (NYTimes.com), October 20, 2004
     
  38. Cell phone market growth slowing  gif
    Reuters (Yahoo! News), October 22, 2004
     
  39. Rise in health spending slows  jpg
    Atlanta Journal Constitution, January 11, 2005
     
  40. Rate of tech layoffs slackens  gif
    Atlanta Journal Constitution, January 18, 2006
     
  41. Gas prices dropping more slowly  gif
    USA Today, October 6, 2006
     
  42. Cost of health insurance rises at reduced pace  gif
    Atlanta Journal Constitution, September 27, 2007
     
  43. Economy still growing but at slower pace: Fed  gif
    Reuters, January 16, 2008
     
  44. Foreclosure filings increase, but at slower rate  gif
    AP, September 12, 2008
     
  45. Few Americans smoke, pace of decline slowing: CDC  gif
    Reuters, September 6, 2011
     

Larry Riddle
Agnes Scott College
March 2008