Short form of calculus, a branch of mathematics dealing with rates of change and accumulation. Also refers to calcium carbonate deposits.
Abbreviated from 'calculus', from Latin 'calculus' meaning 'small pebble'. Romans used pebbles for counting and calculation. The mathematical meaning developed because early calculations were done with counting stones, while the medical meaning refers to stone-like deposits.
The connection between pebbles and advanced mathematics reveals how human learning builds from concrete to abstract - we literally went from counting stones to calculating infinite series. Medical 'calc' deposits got their name because they resemble the small stones Romans used for math.
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