# Homework Help: Integral or Derivative of dx

1. Feb 27, 2009

### zmike

I am in the middle of a problem and I have to take the integral of "dx" This is very confusing, I would guess x or 1 but neither really makes sense to me. How would you take the derivative of something to form dx???, similarly how would you take the derivative of dx^2.

Aside from knowing that dx meaning a very small bit of something, I have no idea how one can take the derv. or integ. or it. It just doesn't make any sense.

Thanks

Last edited: Feb 28, 2009
2. Feb 27, 2009

### snipez90

dx = 1*dx... this can easily be integrated.

3. Feb 28, 2009

### zmike

explain how to take the dervative of dx with respect to x

4. Feb 28, 2009

### Dick

If you mean d(dx)/dx, that doesn't make any sense. If you mean dx/dx that's just d/dx(x). The derivative of the function f(x)=x.

5. Feb 28, 2009

### yyat

Maybe you could give a little more context. The symbol "dx" is used in various different places in mathematics.
For example, if you consider dx as a 1-form on the real line, then the indefinite integral is x+c for any c. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exterior_derivative" [Broken]

Last edited by a moderator: May 4, 2017