Skip to ContentGo to accessibility page
OpenStax Logo
Precalculus 2e

Introduction to Calculus

Precalculus 2eIntroduction to Calculus
Dutch runner Sifan Hassan passes the lead competitors on her way to a victory.

Chapter Outline

Introduction to Calculus

Sifan Hassan, an Ethiopian-born Dutch runner, has dominated distance running for several years. She became the first runner to win both the 1500 and 10,000 meter races at a World Championship. During the Tokyo Olympics, she joined only one other runner in history when she medaled in the rarely attempted distance triple: the 1500, 5000, and 10,000 meter races. She won the gold medal in both the 5000 and 10,000 meter races and the bronze in the 1500. Hassan's signature racing style is to stay at the back of the pack for much of the race, and then move up during the final laps.

Hassan does not run at her top speed at every instant. How then, do we approximate her speed at any given instant? We will find the answer to this and many related questions in this chapter.

PreviousNext
Order a print copy
Citation/Attribution
Reuse and redistribution of this content in digital or print format:
  • This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's prior written permission.
  • This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License, which means that you can reuse and modify the material only for noncommercial purposes, must attribute OpenStax, and must distribute any derivative works under the same license.
  • Any commercial printing of this textbook, including using a local or custom printer, must be approved by OpenStax, and proper citation provided.
  • OpenStax-copyrighted images, activities, assessments, and similar components of this book are subject to the same licensing – CC-BY-NC-SA. They can be used for noncommercial purposes with attribution. Commercial use requires permission.
  • Permission requests: Anyone who intends to incorporate this content (including text, images, and other components) into large language models, use it in AI offerings, use it commercially (including in print), and/or has questions about another use case is welcome to complete our reuse request form.
Attribution information
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial print format, then you must include on every physical page the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/precalculus-2e/pages/1-introduction-to-functions

  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial digital format, then for every page that includes OpenStax content, you must license the derivative work under the same CC-BY-NC-SA license as the original, and include on every digital page view the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/precalculus-2e/pages/1-introduction-to-functions

Citation information

The information below includes the information needed to generate citations in most major styles (APA, MLA, etc.); you must reformat and organize the information as needed to fit the requirements of the style. Use the information below to generate a citation. We recommend using a citation tool such as this one.

© Jun 12, 2026 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License. The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo, and Rice University name, and Rice University logo trademarks, or wordmarks are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.