Calculus and the Infinitesimals: 'The Ghosts of Departed Quantities'

 

In this  episode of Adrian Moore's 'A History of Infinity' (BBC R4, 2016), the subject is the nature and development of the calculus. It begins with the observation that to divide zero by zero, or zero into anything at all, makes no sense. If you know anything about the calculus, it is clear what is being talked about in this episode, but the way it is discussed is lacking in the kind of precise description you might expect. 

A train is used as an illustration. Travelling a distance of sixty mil...