Calculus began as an outgrowth of geometry. Back around 250 BCE in ancient Greece, it was a hot little mathematical startup devoted to the mystery of curves. The ambitious plan of its devotees was to use infinity to build a bridge between the curved and the straight. The hope was that once that link was established, the methods and techniques of straight-line geometry could be shuttled across the bridge and brought to bear on the mystery of curves. With infinity’s
