<p>Today is the first day of school for my district and I am freaking out about AP Calculus. I did not understand the first lecture at all and am wondering if I should stay in it. The textbook is Calculus Concepts and Applications by Paul A. Foerster. I did really well in pre-cal. Is this book any good and is it worth it?</p>
<p>I don't know about the book but if you did really well in precalculus, I'd say stay with it for a while. We had a crappy book too, and the teacher didn't explain ANYTHING, so we were kinda on our own. But like 2 weeks before the test I found one of those AP prep books and crammed like heck and still managed to pull off a 4. (and an A in the class) Good luck whatever you choose</p>
<p>I don't know about the book, but AP Calc is definitely worth it. You'll most likely need to take it in college anyway. Don't worry if you didn't understand the first lecture. The material itself shouldn't be all that hard to understand once you get into it. Read the book and get an AP prep book or two. But the main issue is practice, practice and more practice.</p>
<p>Stay in it. I felt the exact same way about AP calc the first week and I did everything I could to get out. I ended up getting all A's and a 5 on the test which let me skip two semesters of college calc.</p>
<p>Thanks you guys for your advice. I did end up dropping though just because I had the teacher Softmore year and I know from that experience that she is really bad. She is one of the types of teachers that will sit in front of the room and do all of the math problems on the board without explaining procedure or how she got to her answer or anything. It is like she is at her own privet math party and the rest of the class was not invited. The funny thing is is that when I dropped (only four days after school started) the teacher flipped and decided to not let anyone else drop until Friday (I don't think that it was very legal but that is how she works). The last thing I heard was that the class that started with 25 is now down to 14.</p>
<p>For me, personally, Calculus made me love math. I enrolled in my school's Multivariable/Linear Algebra/Differential Equations class because I'm having the same teacher again. He was hard, made it challenging, but so much fun. I think math to be a major useful skill in my life, and am glad I had the privilige of such a great teacher to teach me. See if Calculus interests you; and if so, pursue your interests and learn! =)</p>
<p>calc is the bomb!</p>
<p>Yeah I have a feeling that if I had stayed it would have bombed my GPA and chances of getting into college... I like AP Stat and Prob much better.</p>
<p>Calculus rocks. Just basically teach yourself. Thats what math basically is. The teacher is there to guide you in the right direction and you're the one thats supposed to study the things afterwards. I had a good teacher, but I dont think i would have pulled a 5 if i didnt study myself. If you don't like teaching yourself then... try to because Calculus is fun and you should stay in it because if you get a 4 or 5 you get credit for it anyways</p>
<p>Definitely. Calculus can sound intimidating, but it's probably some of the most straight-forward math you'll encounter, because everything you learn is really related, and there are practical applications.</p>
<p>I remember feeling a little bit worried the first day of AP Calc when our teacher gave us the definition of a limit. After that, though, I felt very comfortable with the material. Granted, I had a really good teacher, and that can certainly be a factor, but I don't think you'll regret taking it at the end of the year...</p>
<p>i'm in the same situation!
i thought i was goign to fail EVERYTHING but i ended up with an 88 for the nine weeks.</p>
<p>stick in there
i wasn't even that good at pre-calc, but it's easy to pick it up once you get started</p>
<p>I don't know how all of you guys have done so well in the subject. Even people that have very high IQ's and a natural math aptitude have gotten C's in this class. I just talked to a bunch of people that have taken it in past years before I dropped and guess it has gone years where not a single student will make an A. Usually only one or two people will do well and I knew that it would not be me. Besides I have a passion for English and History. Generally people that like these subjecs don't really seem to enjoy the whole math/science spectrum.</p>
<p>I think just because one has a high IQ doesn't give them a special ability to understand calculus. My teacher says those who understand calc the best usually are visual learners who can "see" the concepts in their brains</p>
<p>The way i see it is: grit your teeth, study hard, and take the class/test. In the end, you'll be proud of yourself and you'll probably be glad you did it. (i took BC last year, and that's what i did) Also, seek help if you need it from those who have already taken it. Don't struggle alone.</p>