Differential may refer to:

Mathematics

Differential (mathematics) In mathematics, differential refers to several related notions derived from the early days of calculus, put on a rigorous footing, such as infinitesimal differences and the derivatives of functions. The term is used in various branches of mathe ...

comprises multiple related meanings of the word, both in calculus and differential geometry, such as an infinitesimal change in the value of a function * Differential algebra *

Differential calculus In mathematics, differential calculus is a subfield of calculus that studies the rates at which quantities change. It is one of the two traditional divisions of calculus, the other being integral calculus—the study of the area beneath a curve. ...

Differential of a function In calculus, the differential represents the principal part of the change in a function y = f(x) with respect to changes in the independent variable. The differential dy is defined by dy = f'(x)\,dx, where f'(x) is the derivative of with resp ...

, represents a change in the linearization of a function ***

Total differential In calculus, the differential represents the principal part of the change in a function y = f(x) with respect to changes in the independent variable. The differential dy is defined by dy = f'(x)\,dx, where f'(x) is the derivative of with resp ...

is its generalization for functions of multiple variables **

Differential (infinitesimal) In mathematics, differential refers to several related notions derived from the early days of calculus, put on a rigorous footing, such as infinitesimal differences and the derivatives of functions. The term is used in various branches of mathema ...

(e.g. ''dx'', ''dy'', ''dt'' etc.) are interpreted as infinitesimals **

Differential topology In mathematics, differential topology is the field dealing with the topological properties and smooth properties of smooth manifolds. In this sense differential topology is distinct from the closely related field of differential geometry, which ...

* Differential (pushforward) The total derivative of a map between manifolds. * Differential exponent, an exponent in the factorisation of the

different ideal In algebraic number theory, the different ideal (sometimes simply the different) is defined to measure the (possible) lack of duality in the ring of integers of an algebraic number field ''K'', with respect to the field trace. It then encodes the ...

Differential geometry Differential geometry is a Mathematics, mathematical discipline that studies the geometry of smooth shapes and smooth spaces, otherwise known as smooth manifolds. It uses the techniques of Calculus, single variable calculus, vector calculus, lin ...

, exterior differential, or

exterior derivative On a differentiable manifold, the exterior derivative extends the concept of the differential of a function to differential forms of higher degree. The exterior derivative was first described in its current form by Élie Cartan in 1899. The re ...

, is a generalization to

differential form In mathematics, differential forms provide a unified approach to define integrands over curves, surfaces, solids, and higher-dimensional manifolds. The modern notion of differential forms was pioneered by Élie Cartan. It has many applications ...

s of the notion of differential of a function on a differentiable manifold * Differential (coboundary), in homological algebra and algebraic topology, one of the maps of a cochain complex *

Differential cryptanalysis Differential cryptanalysis is a general form of cryptanalysis applicable primarily to block ciphers, but also to stream ciphers and cryptographic hash functions. In the broadest sense, it is the study of how differences in information input can a ...

, a pair consisting of the difference, usually computed by XOR, between two plaintexts, and the difference of the corresponding ciphertexts

Science and technology

Differential (mechanical device) A differential is a gear train with three drive shafts that has the property that the rotational speed of one shaft is the average of the speeds of the others. A common use of differentials is in motor vehicles, to allow the wheels at each ...

, as part of a motor vehicle drivetrain, the device that allows driving wheels or axles on opposite sides to rotate at different speeds **

Limited-slip differential A limited-slip differential (LSD) is a type of differential gear train that allows its two output shafts to rotate at different speeds but limits the maximum difference between the two shafts. Limited-slip differentials are often known by the ...

Differential steering Differential steering is the means of steering a land vehicle by applying more drive torque to one side of the vehicle than the other. Differential steering is the primary means of steering tracked vehicles, such as tanks and bulldozers, is al ...

, the steering method used by tanks and similar tracked vehicles * Electronic differential, an electric motor controller which substitutes its mechanical counterpart with significant advantages in electric vehicle application *

Differential signaling Differential signalling is a method for electrically transmitting information using two complementary signals. The technique sends the same electrical signal as a differential pair of signals, each in its own conductor. The pair of conduc ...

, in electronics, applies to a method of transmitting electronic signals over a pair of wires to reduce interference *

Differential amplifier A differential amplifier is a type of electronic amplifier that amplifies the difference between two input voltages but suppresses any voltage common to the two inputs. It is an analog circuit with two inputs V_\text^- and V_\text^+ and one outp ...

, an

electronic amplifier An amplifier, electronic amplifier or (informally) amp is an electronic device that can increase the magnitude of a Signal (information theory), signal (a time-varying voltage or Electric current, current). It is a two-port network, two-port ...

that amplifies signals.

Social sciences

Semantic Semantics is the study of linguistic Meaning (philosophy), meaning. It examines what meaning is, how words get their meaning, and how the meaning of a complex expression depends on its parts. Part of this process involves the distinction betwee ...

and

structural differential The structural differential is a physical chart or three-dimensional model illustrating the abstracting processes of the human nervous system. In one form, it appears as a pegboard with tags. Created by Alfred Korzybski, and awarded a U.S. patent ...

s in psychology *

Quality spread differential Quality spread differential (QSD) arises during an interest rate swap in which two parties of different levels of creditworthiness experience different levels of interest rates of debt obligations. A positive QSD means that a swap is in the inter ...

, in finance *

Compensating differential Wage differential is a term used in labour economics to analyze the relation between the wage rate and the unpleasantness, risk, or other undesirable attributes of a particular job. A compensating differential, which is also called a compensating ...

, in labor economics

Medicine

Differential diagnosis In healthcare, a differential diagnosis (DDx) is a method of analysis that distinguishes a particular disease or condition from others that present with similar clinical features. Differential diagnostic procedures are used by clinicians to di ...

, the characterization of the underlying cause of pathological states based on specific tests *

White blood cell differential A white blood cell differential is a medical laboratory test that provides information about the types and amounts of white blood cells in a person's blood. The test, which is usually ordered as part of a complete blood count (CBC), measures t ...

, the enumeration of each type of white blood cell either manually or using automated analyzers

Other

Differential hardening Differential heat treatment (also called selective heat treatment or local heat treatment) is a technique used during heat treating of steel to harden or soften certain areas of an object, creating a difference in hardness between these areas. Ther ...

, in metallurgy *

Differential rotation Differential rotation is seen when different parts of a rotating object move with different angular velocities (or rates of rotation) at different latitudes and/or depths of the body and/or in time. This indicates that the object is not rigi ...

, in astronomy *

Differential centrifugation In biochemistry and cell biology, differential centrifugation (also known as differential velocity centrifugation) is a common procedure used to separate organelles and other sub-cellular particles based on their sedimentation rate. Although o ...

, in cell biology *

Differential scanning calorimetry Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is a thermoanalytical technique in which the difference in the amount of heat required to increase the temperature of a sample and reference is measured as a function of temperature. Both the sample and re ...

, in materials science *

Differential signalling Differential signalling is a method for electrically transmitting information using two complementary signals. The technique sends the same electrical signal as a differential pair of signals, each in its own conductor. The pair of conduc ...

, in communications *

Differential GPS Differential Global Positioning Systems (DGPSs) supplement and enhance the positional data available from global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs). A DGPS can increase accuracy of positional data by about a thousandfold, from approximately to ...

, in satellite navigation technology * Differential interferometry in radar * ''Differential'', an extended play by The Sixth Lie * ''Handicap differential'', part of the calculation used in producing

golf handicap A golf handicap is a numerical measure of a golfer's ability, or potential ability, that is used to enable players of different abilities to compete against one another. Better players are those with the lowest handicaps. Historically, rules relat ...

Mathematics

Science and technology

Social sciences

Medicine

Other

See also