<p>I'm going into my senior year and i will be taking AP Calculus. I was wondering what books should i get to prep for the class. I heard the class is really hard so i want to get a head start on my learning.</p>
<p>Honestly, with calculus you either get it or you don’t. That’s why you’re going to have a polar spectrum of people - those who love it and those who don’t. Since calculus introduces completely new concepts, it is difficult to study for alone. It’s not like trigonometry or geometry, which only involve algebraic manipulations. I guess you could brush up on your pre-calculus skills but prep books won’t help you learn material in advance - they’re better for review.</p>
<p>^I agree, it’s not really a good idea to start learning derivatives and such early. I suggest making sure that your algebra/geometry/trig skills are solid. Single-variable calculus isn’t really that difficult as long as you pay attention and don’t have any gaps.</p>
<p>I bought an old calculus textbook when I was at a used book store. It turned out to be the same one my mother used when she took college calculus. (: Since it was old and used (still really good quality) it was just 14 bucks. I’m taking calculus next year aswell and I think that’ll be my best shot for some pre-course work. Since its a textbook it goes from the really simple (the beginning talks about what a function is) to complex. I havent read through mine but like I said, no one has really suggested anything else. And realize that pretty much no one does this, so no matter what you’ll be ahead of your classmate (hopefully for a while ) . Good luck though, to the both of us, I’m getting more nervous everyday about my AP Physics and AP Calc courses.</p>
<p>are AP test prep books good to study from?</p>
<p>Not unless you already know calculus. You can’t learn calculus from books that are designed to be a review. It probably wouldn’t include shortcuts like finding derivatives the easy way. In which case you would have to figure it out for yourself or keep doing it the long way. For instance, I used Schaum’s Calculus Outline to brush up on Calc 1 concepts and while it was an outstanding review, I don’t see how I could have done it without having known calculus before - and Schaum’s is likely more comprehensive than the AP prep books.</p>
<p>I would suggest not getting an AP test prep book unless you’ve already taken the course and are struggling on certain topics. Go through the course first, then decide for yourself whether you can benefit from a prep book.</p>
<p>If you really want to make sure you do well in calculus, instead of getting a head start, make sure you fully understand its prerequisites. </p>
<p>Review over basic algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. Know about factoring, polynomials, trigonometric graphs and identities, parametric equations, and whatever other topics you might be a little rusty on. You’d be surprised how much simple stuff you’ve forgotten over four+ years of high school math.</p>