Things you should do before class begins:

 

stewart

Get the BOOK

The book we use in this class is Calculus 8th ed. By James Stewart

There are many versions of this book so be sure to get the correct one.  We do NOT use the “early transcendentals version”.  Students often ask if they can use an old version.  Although the earlier versions do not differ much from the 8th edition, the page numbers and problem sets have differences which will make it difficult for you so I discourage it.  I do not use “WebAssign” so you will not need an access code.

Review 

The two biggest predictors of success in Calculus are your (1)  willingness to be committed and work hard and (2) your mathematical background.   The most common problem for those struggling in my 5A is ALGEBRA and TRIG, not calculus.  If you are at all weak in these areas, I would recommend the following review.  (WE WILL NOT HAVE TIME TO REVIEW THIS MATERIAL IN CLASS).

The textbook has a section entitled Diagnostics near the beginning of the book.  These problems are to assess your basic algebra skills.  For any areas in which you are weak, you will be referred to the material in an appropriate appendix of the book.  The math 7AB book (Sullivan 10th ed) is also an excellent resource for review, especially A5,2.3, 2.4,3.3, 3.4, 4.2, 4.4,and Chapters 6 and 7.      Additionally, I would encourage you to do the following two worksheets.

·  Algebra Review (answers)

·  Factoring With Negative Exponents Worksheet

 

Besides brushing up on your algebra and trig, here are a few other things you should do to prepare for the start of class.

 Read and Explore

 

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