Preparation for Calculus

[phlegmatic]

I'll be taking beginning calculus this upcoming (Spring) semester and, as I am only a recently returning student, what math skills i do possess have been a-gathering dust on the shelves, no doubt in some musty recess of my mind. Are there any books or sites anyone knows of which I could use to brush up on the trig and pre-calc materials I'll want to have down before my class begins. I'd really appreciate any suggestions here. Thanks

[Daedalus]

Wikipedia is always a good place to start. The following link will help refresh your memory as well as provide some other references for you to look at:

 

http://en.wikipedia....iki/Precalculus

 

I wish I could suggest a few books for you. I suppose you could go to Barnes & Noble, but I would imagine Amazon.com would have some good books as well as some electronic books you could buy.

 

http://www.amazon.co...r/dp/0070572615

 

With Amazon you can at least check the ratings for the book and perhaps read a few reviews before buying : )

Edited October 27, 2011 by Daedalus

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

You can also watch videos and do practice exercises at the Khan Academy:

 

http://www.khanacademy.org/

 

You can pick some exercises to start on and see how difficult they are to decide where you should start.

[DrRocket]

I'll be taking beginning calculus this upcoming (Spring) semester and, as I am only a recently returning student, what math skills i do possess have been a-gathering dust on the shelves, no doubt in some musty recess of my mind. Are there any books or sites anyone knows of which I could use to brush up on the trig and pre-calc materials I'll want to have down before my class begins. I'd really appreciate any suggestions here. Thanks

 

Mathematics is learned by doing.

 

Most college algebra and trigonometry books (the same as high school algebra and trigonometry) are equivalent. I would suggest getting a copy of whatever books you used in the past (if you don't remember get any book with a title like college algebra or trigonometry) and do a large number of the exercises in the book). Such books should be readily available and affordable on the used book market at amazon.com, alibris.com or abebooks.com.

 

Even a Schaum's outline should suffice.

 

BTW what you are proposing is a VERY good idea in preparation for a calculus class.

 

Your biggest hurdle in making the transition to calculus will be making the adjustment form "solving the equation and finding the number" to and estimating a solution and refining the approximation until it becomes exact. Calculus is philosophically different, and making the algebra and trig "old hat" will let you focus on that difference and not "miss the forest for the trees".

[phlegmatic]

Thanks a lot for all of the feedback. Since I'm so busy with my regular schedule right now I'll probably do something like get the Schaum's outline to begin perusing, then come winter break buckle down and buy a couple of college algebra and trig books. A very merry Xmas indeed!

[emeraldgirl08]

Khan academy is a very good site and also includes helpful videos for other fields of study also. PatrickJMT is another helpful uploader on youtube. He and Khan are great supplements so far to my pre-cal course this semester. I am also going to be taking Calc I next semester and I'm looking forward to it....I think >.<

 

I had bought some books over this past summer in preparation for the pre-cal class I am in currently. The books I bought are the demystified book and the dummies workbooks for precal and trig (answers are illustrated step by step). They pretty much will work well if used together. The book we are using in my Precal class is by Robert Blitzer and is the 4th edition green colored textbook. I feel it is very good so far and feel it is laying the basics for what Calculus will bring. It also covers a quick refresher in college algebra at the beginning of the book.

 

For upcoming Calc help I bought "The Calculus Lifesaver" by Adrian Banner (also happens to have streaming videos on Princeton universities website covering problems and concepts in his book) and "How to Ace Calculus: the Streetwise Guide." I will undoubtedly study these books during my winter break.

[phlegmatic]

I'll make it a point to check out both of those books and the stream you mentioned. I think calculus is going to be the only really difficult subject I'll be taking next semester; also taking first class in the chemistry series, a field geology class and another class that teaches us the ins and outs of using g.i.s. Good luck and thanks again for pointing me in a good direction.

[Lukas!]

If you want you can download calculus class podcasts from UCSD or UCB, just google that. My favorite calculus book was the Hughes-Hallett book from the Wiley publishers. It is a very simple book for single and multivariable calculus. If you are a mature student I would suggest doing your best to solve a problem by reading each chapter carefully. A subscription to *******.com might help to check your answers and make sure you understand the material, but if you cheat and just copy answers instead of working problems you are bound to fail. Calculus can actually be a whole lot of fun believe it or not. Good luck!

[Guest Denishverma]

Preparation for Calculus

 

Dear phlegmatic!

 

I prefer to help you -

- First of all make a research of simple calculus through Internet.

- Then collect data regarding the your choice.

After that you can get alot of data over google for math help.

 

Try once.