<p>Hello!</p>
<p>I am going to take AP Calculus AB & BC this year, and I am planning to start studying for it during summer vacation. I tried to select a good textbook, but there are so many published textbooks that really hinder my effort to narrowing into one. Which textbook is well-known and good for AP Calculus AB & BC?</p>
<p>use Calculus: Early Transcendentals 6th Edition by Stewart. I used it to study for AP Calculus BC and along with PatrickJMT it helped me do well on the exam. </p>
<p>You should use this book because you can find this book and the book’s solution’s manual very easily in the internet. The solution manual has solutions for all odd problems and is very useful.</p>
<p>I used a book called Calculus: Graphical, Numerical, Algebraic that is written by 4 authors. It was really really good. ISBN 0132014084</p>
<p>Thank you for the suggestion…has anyone used Larson’s Calculus book?</p>
<p>Also just about any college calculus textbook is good for AP Cal?</p>
<p>Any good calculus textbook will do, there is no need for any textbook that says AP on the cover. Larson is also good, and the 8th edition and its solution manual are available online as well.</p>
<p>Many college textbooks don’t have AP style questions (most of the questions are like this: evaluate this gigantic list of integrals). The book by Foerster or the one by Rogawski (AP version) would be more relevant (and cheaper).</p>
<p>I actually really hated “Calculus: Graphical, Numerical, Algebraic”. I found it really confusing and too condensed. If you understand math easily, then maybe. But I found that the example problems would skip about four or five steps and expect you to follow along. I’m a humanities person myself, so that could explain why.</p>
<p>I also didn’t like “Calculus: Concepts and Connections” The example problems again seemed hard to follow and, small gripe, the equations were not highlighted, boxed, or differentiated in the book in any way. The lack of equation highlighting made reviewing and studying just a bit more time consuming because you actually had too really look for it. My BC teacher actually also hates the book; he says it’s bad teaching book and more of a “refresher course book”. Take that for what it is. </p>
<p>I actually REALLY liked Calculus by Rogawski (mentioned above). My tutor uses it, and the examples are well explained and the equations are highlighted!</p>
<p>Apparently Calculus by Anton is also good, but it’s more college-y, not AP like.</p>
<p>Well, I don’t think this is an answerable question - definitively anyway. But many of the books mentioned above are well known and used in their so-called ‘AP Editions’ in AP classes. </p>
<p>Most of the Math books are pretty much the same and hard to learn from at times…but you can still learn from them if your up to the challenge. I’ve been looking for that special math (Calculus) book for some years now and have not found it - you know - that math book that is almost like Jehovah’s* Holy Bible: that is refreshing, readable, understandable, just pure delight to read and study.</p>
<p>The book used at the school where I work is Larson’s and Edward’s Ninth (9th) edition, AP edition. I found it is good overall. However, the AP sections and questions are somewhat weak and not up to the level of thinking and reasoning required for the AP tests. Another book that is liked is Calculus With Analytic Geometry by George Simmons but this is a $200.00 book new. If your planning to teach math some day, the “old school” Calculus books by Spivak, Taylor, or Apostol, and others may be of interest to you. But these will probably come later for you. </p>
<p>My suggestion is to use the required text for your class, but get a used supplement like Princeton’s and work problems and exercises as much as possible. But as soon as you can, begin working the test questions on old AP tests published on their website (College Board) so that you will have a feel for the test questions and styles. There is a focus on the Integral as an Accumulation Function right now on these tests. The Free Response Questions on the AP tests are much different then those at the end of chapter exercises in the textbooks so practice with the old AP tests as much as possible - this is my modest opinion anyway.</p>
<p>What really helps too, is if you have a good AP Calculus teacher. Hopes this helps. </p>
<p>Patrick</p>
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<p>*Jehovah is the personal name of Almighty God. Psalms 83:18.</p>
<p>One other important point I should mention is that if you can get with a SERIOUS study group even in High School or just have a serious “study buddy” who is as strong (smart) or stronger than you in math this will really help. Don’t give up if you fail or no one wants to let you in their group or be your study buddy at first. It is worth the effort to keep trying.</p>
<p>Talking about math is one of the best ways to learn it. </p>
<p>Wish you well.</p>
<p>Patrick</p>