Applet: Ordinary derivative of heating cost
Imagine the function $h(T)$ shown as a think green line was the cost of heating your house given the outside temperature $T$. The derivative $dh/dT$ is calculated at the temperature $T=a$. You can change $a$ by dragging the red point at $(a,h(a))$ with your mouse. The think blue line is tangent to the graph of $h(T)$ at the point $T=a$, and its slope is the derivative $dh/dT$.
Applet file: oderivheatex.m
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