<p>I am taking an absolutely unhelpful online precal class (required by school), and I signed up for AP Calculus this year. Before school starts, I would love to self-study precal to prepare myself for AP and for SAT Math II. Any recommendations for which textbook I should get? Thanks</p>
<p>I am also self-studying precalc this summer! I bought the Barron’s E-Z Precalc (though I found it to be really confusing, so don’t buy it!!!) and the CliffsQuickReview Precalc (it’s helpful if you want to have all the important stuff in one place, but I found A LOT of typos). I used a textbook called “Algebra and Trigonometry” by Cynthia Young (borrowed from library, it’s uncluttered and presents information well, I’d definitely recommend it), but I guess any precalc textbook will work. My school uses “Precalculus with Limits” by Larson, and it’s pretty clear also. Also, the Barron’s SAT Math 2 has a pretty good precalc review. I’m using it right now to study for Math 2 in October. Oh, and of course, Khan Academy and PatrickJMT are also valuable resources. Good luck! I hope this wasn’t too confusing :)</p>
<p>Thank you much! That really help!! I will check if my library has a precal textbook that I can borrow. I tried to use khanacademy, too, but I didn’t know what video to go to. I would have to jump around to find the video that matches the concept that I was studying on. Is that the same for you?</p>
<p>I used the Schaum’s Outline series to review Calculus and I felt it did an outstanding job. There’s a version for Precalculus too.</p>
<p>^^I watched the videos under the Precalculus and Trigonometry categories in Khan Academy, as well as some calculus ones. I skipped around more in PatrickJMT, but I found it to be more useful for solidifying the concept. KA is better for an initial understanding/intuition.</p>
<p>I agree. I recommend Khan Academy as a start-up to catch main ideas and then use JMZ as details and through explanation.</p>
<p>I personally liked “Precalculus” by Larson; the book has through and good explanation.</p>
<p>Art of Problem Solving has a Pre-Calculus textbook which I’ve heard is very good. However it’s a little more rigorous than most pre-calculus books. It goes fairly in-depth, which is crucial if you wish to pursue calculus and higher mathematics.</p>
<p>@Mansu I used Larson to self-study and found it to be really helpful (except for the pictures of random people holding calculator screens…), but then I went into the challenge test to get out of Honors precalc and realized that the textbook is like ten times easier than the test. So I’m pretty sure I bombed the test, and now I’m actually scared for precalc. sigh, my dreams of being an overachieving CCer are over lol :(</p>
<p>@ elf4EVA I checked my library, and unfortunately it only has one by Stewart an is already checked out by somebody else. I looked up on amazon, and there’s a “Precalculus” by Cynthia Y. Young. How is that different from “Algebra and Trigonometry”? </p>
<p>@ ptontiger16 How is Schaum’s Outline like for someone who doesn’t have a firm foundation in trig and pre-cal? Would it go too fast?</p>
<p>@ rspence The Art of Solving Problems is $70 on Amazon…Any way of getting in for a more affordable price?</p>
<p>I don’t have the Schaum’s Outline for Precalc. But I’d say it’d be challenging for somebody who’s not good at trig. It will give you a thorough review though.</p>
<p>@chocolatencream Art of Problem Solving sells it for $47 ($53 with solutions manual). The link will take you to the website, which gives info about the book as well as a few excerpts:</p>
<p>[url=<a href=“http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Store/viewitem.php?item=precalc]Precalculus[/url”>http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Store/viewitem.php?item=precalc]Precalculus[/url</a>]</p>