<p>Hi guys, so I am a junior and have just finished Pre-calc. I decided to skip Calc AB and go straight to BC next year.
My question is, has anyone used the Art of Problem Solving Calculus textbook? If so, was it manageable to work through independently, and did it adequately prepare you for Calculus BC?
If you didn't use the AoPS book, what book did you use?
(I am planning to study everything in the summer so that the class is not overly difficult)
Thanks.</p>
<p>Humongous Book of Calculus Problems is a great book, and don’t worry about skipping AB, most high schools have you take BC right after Precalculus</p>
<p>I’ve used other AoPS books, and I’ve heard good things about the AoPS Calculus book (never used it myself though), so it may be worth checking out.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>You are not skipping Calculus AB. Calc BC contains all of the material in Calc AB, plus a little more.</p></li>
<li><p>The AoPS book is awesome, but it should not be used to prepare for Calculus BC. Rather, a thorough study of AoPS calculus will very nearly prepare you for the AP exam.</p></li>
<li><p>You can probably do something more productive with your time over the summer. Try to understand the concepts of limits, derivatives, and integrals, and you’ll be aptly prepared for an AP Calculus BC course.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks for all of your answers!
@DiscipulusBonus What do you mean by #2? Do you not recommend the AoPS book then, or mean that it is too difficult to start straight off of?</p>
<p>@Peachmarmalade: If you just want an introduction to calculus before taking AP Calc BC, the AoPS book is probably too advanced. It covers topics like Delta-Epsilon limits (<a href=“Limit of a function - Wikipedia”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/(ε,_δ)-definition_of_limit</a>) that aren’t even on the AP syllabus. The only reason it doesn’t completely prepare you for the AP exam is that the book was not designed with the AP syllabus in mind, so it misses a few topics here and there.</p>
<p>If you haven’t already completed other AoPS books, you will be surprised by the amount of problem solving required by the AoPS Calculus textbook.</p>