So I decide to learn Calculus at home...

So I have decided to learn Calculus, all by myself, within the comfort of my own home. Without the benefits of classes or lecturers (maybe I can ask a few friends to help me out now a then…or maybe very frequently). I just can’t get into a class now - lack of budget is one reason, for one thing.

What are some good resources for learing Calculus? Any books to recommend (especially books that is slanted towards the laymen and is not filled with ‘academy speech’)? Or websites?

Thanks in advance.

Calculus by Varberg and Purcell is a pretty good self-study text. Most importantly it has a solutions manual.

I second the reccomendation of the Varberg book. We used that book for two semesters of Calculus when I was in school and I found it far more useful than my dumbass professor. (For the second semester, though, I had a much better prof. :slight_smile: )

You will have to have the discipline to do the practice questions. You can’t just read a chapter and decide you understand it without completing the questions.

Agreed. Do every damn question in which ever book you choose. Every single one. Initially it’s pattern recognition you’re going for, when you see x^-2 and you panic you think to yourself "heck its only 1/x^2 and I know the pattern for f(x)/g(x).

Make sure you get the solution set for the book. Nothing more frustrating than doing the work and wondering if you did it right.

I tried the same thing a while ago. I recommend “How to Ace Calculus.” Good luck!