<p>Anyone have any recommendations for self-studying Precalculus? Textbook/book suggestions, anything?</p>
<p>If you really want to know the material, any text book will do as long as you dedicate yourself and time to learning the material.</p>
<p>If you are in the class and want an easy A, learn how to use the Ti-89 and it will do all of the work for you.</p>
<p>^My teacher refused to let us use calculators (except 4-functions) unless our TI-83’s couldn’t help us with the problems. :(</p>
<p>Anyway, I recommend Blitzer’s Pre-Calculus as a textbook. It’s the one I used in my class. My teacher liked it because it has so many problems for each section.</p>
<p>I did it over the summer to skip it so I could take AP calc as a sophomore. I got a book, I think it was called Pre-Calculus made easy and just mastered the stuff. Didn’t bother with an actual textbook.</p>
<p>Then again, I already knew most of the material.</p>
<p>^ i second Precalculus made easy by Barron’s. it fantastic. im using if for review now</p>
<p>why on earth would you want to self-study precalculus?</p>
<p>^ maybe to go to calc early?</p>
<p>i see…</p>
<p>so as to put yourself into a class you are not yet ready for for the meagre benefit of having taken calculus a year earlier in HS?</p>
<p>If you are looking to go into a field in which calculus earlier in HS is a “necessity” for gaining admission to a particular programme, you may want to reconsider whether you are really suited for that course.</p>
<p>if that is not the case for you, then disregard that advice, but I somehow doubt that…</p>
<p>I just finished sophomore year and I took Algebra 2. I’m taking Precalculus as a course junior year, and I just want to be prepared for it because it’s going to be really hard, according to everyone who takes it at my school. It’d be nice to “master” the material so it won’t drag me down like Algebra 2 did this year. I’m taking 4 AP classes so I think it’s important that I’m prepared for math.</p>
<p>OH! I see. Then I recommend PreCalculus Demystified. It’s pretty useful, especially if you don’t understand a concept you’re learning in class.</p>
<p>That’s a better reason :). although it might just be me, but i think self-studying the course the summer before is a bit much lol. </p>
<p>I took Precalc in the form of IB Math Studies SL, so I’m not sure how helpful textbook wisdom from me would be…</p>
<p>I am self studying precalc as well… except I am doing it to skip Precalc in school. (I took honors alg. II and honors geometry and ended up with over 100% every semester… and most of the time got 98-102% on the tests (and on the final!)… the avg grade in both classes was a ‘B’ so I figure if colleges see that, they would think I am not challenging myself… and I really don’t think I am… so yeah. I think there is no reason doing it would hurt, for whatever reason.</p>
<p>Anyway… look at this site: <a href=“http://archives.math.utk.edu/visual.calculus/0/index.html[/url]”>http://archives.math.utk.edu/visual.calculus/0/index.html</a>
it is a review site, but just click on the tutorial for each section and read through it, then click on the discussian. The nice thing about it is it goes through everything step by step. It is qutie nice. As far as the text book goes, I am just using the schools honors Precalc book… (and taking the schools semester finals and chapter tests).</p>
<p>^ and the site doesn’t dive into every thing your school will most likely cover in an honors precalc class. Some of the stuff is basic and brief, but it still helps set a foundation for major concepts, and if you are simply doing this to help you understand the concepts ahead of time, you don’t need to go too indepth quite yet.</p>
<p>@IBfootballer- It may be a bit much, but I think it’ll be worth it. 
I suck at math, I mean I almost got a C or D in Algebra 2. That was quite a scare to say the least. I have this free summer ahead of me, so I might as well catch up and get ahead in math.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. Rixs, I liked both of your suggestions. Blitzer’s Precalculus looks really good and so does Precalculus DeMystified, so I’ll probably get both of those. And thanks for the website, lost<em>in</em>thought.</p>
<p>Ugh…I’m doing this right now and I swear to God trig identities are making me want to kill myself. Specifically verifying the damn things, I just can’t seem to think abstractly enough. Any tips, or should I just keep trying problems?</p>
<p>Seriously, precalc is a waste of time. It’s mainly what you learn in Alg. II plus basic stuff youll pic up in calc (ie trig)</p>
<p>If you’re good at math, going from Algebra II to Calc AB shouldn’t be that big of an issue. That’s what I did… (I planned to study Precalc over the summer, than got lazy, and I turned out fine)</p>
<p>Well, Precalculus is required at my school. Can’t take Calculus without it.</p>
<p>@blindtrombonist</p>
<p>Waaait, Precalculus requires ABSTRACT thinking?! I’m screwed.</p>
<p>lolz, I don’t know if I used that word right, but I feel trig identities require abstract thinking. If they don’t, I don’t know what’s troubling me. ^^; </p>
<p>And yes, it’s just as he says, blackroses, it’s required to take before Calculus</p>
<p>I tried to convince the math department to let me self-teach trig over the summer to take calc next year, but they wouldn’t let me (I have an A-/A in algebra 2 H right now as a junior). So I have to take it at a CC over the summer.</p>