Basic Concepts

Abstract

This chapter introduces the building blocks of the Model of Derivative Analysis, namely, the concepts of unit of derivative interest (UDS), derivative work, derivative impact, and relation of similarity, which provide the necessary means for defining variation as a generic function that maps a referential UDS (the “parent”) onto a related one (the “child”). The last sections presents a geometrical model: the derivative space, limited by orthogonal axes of similarity and divergence.