How to Do Calculus in Excel (Differentiation and Integration)

How to Calculate Differentiation Manually in Excel?

Steps:

• Set the differentiation equation.

• Use the differentiation results as a reference formula.
• We have taken several x-values and their corresponding y-values. As we have the differential formula for our equation, we can find differentiation at every x-value.

• Enter the following formula in D8:

• Press ENTER.
• We get differentiation for the first point, which is -1.
• Hold and drag cell D8 downwards to find differentiation for all points.

Finding Differentiation by Formula

Steps:

The finite difference formula is given as:

• Set the value of h and find f(x+h) and f(x). From these values, we will find the differentiation of (x). We have set the value of h as 0.0001.

• Enter the following formula in E8 to find the value of x+h.

• Hold and drag the E8 cell downwards to get all x+h values.

• To find the values of f(x+h), enter the following formula in F8:

• Press ENTER.
• Hold and drag the F8 cell downwards to find all f(x+h).

• To find f’(x), enter the following formula in G8:

• Press Enter.
• Hold and drag the G8 cell downwards to find all f’(x).

Finding Integration in Excel

Calculating Integration Manually

Steps:

The integration of the equation is given as:

• Enter the following formula in D8 and press ENTER.

• Hold and drag the D8 cell downwards to find integration at all points.

Finding the Area under the Curve with Integration

Steps:

• Enter the following formula in D8 and press ENTER.

• Hold and drag the D8 cell downwards to get all the interval areas.

• To sum up all these area intervals, we will use the SUM function. Here is the overview of the SUM function:

Click the image for a detailed view

• Use the following formula in D18:

Finding a Derivative with the SLOPE function

The overview of the SLOPE function is given in the following image:

Click the image for a detailed view

Let’s find the average velocity with this in-built function.

Steps:

• Enter the following formula in C14 and press ENTER.

• You will get the average velocity, which is 4.74 ms^-1.

Things Should You Remember

• When finding an area under a curve, you should take as much interval as possible. The more intervals you take, the more accurate your result will be.
• The result from these procedures is not cent percent accurate. Different methods may give you different results.
• While differentiating with the finite difference method, you must take the value of h very small for more accuracy.
• Be careful while using the formulas. Especially in the case of relative and absolute referencing.

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Calculus in Excel: Knowledge Hub

• Differentiation in Excel
• Calculate Derivative
• Calculate Second Derivative
• Make the First Derivative Graph
• Find Partial Derivatives
• Integration in Excel
• Use Integration to Find Area Under a Curve
• Trapezoidal Integration in Excel

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