Tangent

The straight line through a point on a curve with the same slope as the curve there; close to that point it hugs the curve.

As h gets smaller, the second point slides towards the first and the secant swings round until it lines up with the curve’s direction at that point: the tangent line.
From Derivatives, step “Shrink the gap”

See it in action

Try tangent hands-on in the lesson Derivatives, part of the The maths behind AI course.

Open the lesson