1. In mathematics, infinitesimal differences, or the derivatives of functions.
2. In engineering, a gear train that has three shafts such that the angular velocity of one shaft is either the average of the angular velocities of the other shafts or a fixed multiple of that average, allowing a drive shaft to turn the other shafts at different speeds. When a car turns, for example, the differential gears allow the outer wheels, with a great distance to cover, to turn faster than the inner wheels.