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good calculus text?


Guest Barb B
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Guest Barb B

Hi all! DS will be finishing Saxon advanced math this fall. He will then start calculus perhaps in January but I like thinking ahaed! He will be a junior so I like the idea of having 3 semesters to finish a calculus text if we need.

 

Anyway, what are some texts you all have liked, disliked . . . I have liked the Saxon math but had mixed feelings for Saxon physics so I am going to look and see what all my choices might be.

 

Also, the teaching company has the calculus lectures for a great price - anyone use these?

 

The professor in the Teaching Company dvd suggests Calculus with analytical geometry by George Simmons. Anyone use this?

Thanks!

 

Barb

Edited by Barb B
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My son watched the Teaching Co. Calculus dvds, they don't show how to do it, just the concepts of it, he says it helped a little. We also purchased chalkdust.com calculus dvds for him to use in college for calc. 1. Chalkdust also has or is going to have dvds for calc. 2 and beyond.

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I like any and all of the Larson texts. The one my younger daughter is using is Calculus I with PreCalculus, A One Year Course (Larson, Hostetler, Edwards). ISBN: 0618-56806-9. My older dd used it in the community college for two semesters (PreCalc and Calc I), so it was handy. :) I have about six other versions of a Larson Calculus text laying around.

 

Lori

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Guest Barb B

Thanks for the answers. Anyone go to one of the Larson calculus texts from Saxon Advanced Math? I am wondering if the Larson precalculus covers the same material as Saxon advanced math or not? It seems that maybe Advanced Math has the precalculus in it.

 

Anyone use Saxon calculus? I wonder if it is better to stay with saxon for an easier transition or change.

 

Barb

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Guest Barb B

Langfam, How important are the dvd's to the Larson text? I don't think chalkdust dvd's are an option because they are so pricey (did I really see $444 for the DVD's and calc. texts!) Could one do the larson text without dvd's?

 

Barb

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My dds went to the Larson texts (we used another one for the older dd first, before she went to CC) from MUS Trig and from Lial's PreCalc.

 

It's simple enough to skip the four chapters of PreCalculus material in this book (Calculus I with PreCalculus, A One Year Course). Don't be misled to think it's a "precalc" book. Definitely Calc (with a bit of review). In that regard, I found it to be the perfect fit.

 

Now, I teach it myself, so we don't have the DVDs. But if I could find the DVDs that went with this one at a decent price...hmmm, off to search. GRIN.

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Guest Barb B

I have been searching the calc. dvds (chalkdust) there are great deals out there. One question - do the dvd's cover all the book or half. Since ds is staring this halfway through his junior year we will maybe take 3 semesters and go through the whole thing. But the dvd descriptions seem to make it look like they go through half not all the book?

 

Barb

 

I just looked and see that chapter 1-5 will consitute Calculus 1? So is that 1 high school credit?

Edited by Barb B
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Which book (exactly) are you using? Yes, some *portion* of a full Calculus book (written for college, usually) is the high school Calculus course. Some books that could be chapters 1-5. In the Calculus I with PreCalculus book that my dd is using, the entire book over one year is PreCalc (1 credit) and Calc I (1 credit). It could certainly be spread over two years for one credit each year, but we are actually doing the PreCalc as a *repeat* and review of concepts she's already done, but she broke up with statistics, so it's not going to be for credit. PreCalc (which she's working on this summer) is review for her, and the rest of the book will constitute Calc I. This book is the precursor to Calc II (8th edition).

 

So, Chapters P-3, and Chapter 9 and 13-14 are review for my dd. But she's going to do P-3, then go ahead and start the "Calc I" material in Chapter 4, then finish 4-8 by Christmas, and start a second review in January in Chap 9, then 10-12 in the spring. If she gets a chance to do 13 and 14, we will...but it's not urgent since it's review. :)

 

Lori

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We stayed with Saxon for Calculus and my son had an easy time with Calculus in college. Since he was an engineering major, I had him retake Calc I in college. I wanted him to make an easy transition to math there, but he says it was the third semester of Calc before he saw anything he did not know.

 

Linda

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Guest Barb B

Linda, Did you use the Dive cd's with Saxon? I am undecided about the Larson text simply because Ds and I are used to saxon and sometimes if a certain curriculum works why change? But if I use Saxon I will definately get the Dive CD's (I'll be doing calculus too so I will need it!).

 

Eliana, I agree - I got the teaching company dvd's as a supplement. I think the D.I.V.E. cd's will be the main lesson/lecture for us!

 

Well, You ladies are very helpful! I am leaning toward Saxon!

 

Thanks For the imput!

 

Barb

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We used Chalkdust, which consisted of the Larson text, Solutions Guides, and the DVDs. There are 10 chapters in the text. The CHALKDUST DVDs ONLY COVER THE FIRST 5 CHAPTERS OF THE LARSON TEXT. If your student does the lessons in the first 5 chapters of the Larson text, he should receive 1 year of high school credit. The first 5 chapters are a college-level Calculus I course (one semester). With a little test prep (we used the Princeton Review guide along with the Larson book), he will be ready for the Calculus AB AP test OR the AB portion of the Calculus BC AP test if he finishes chapters 1-5. If he finishes the whole book, he will be ready for the Calculus BC AP test, with a some prep. Always get a review guide and have your student take at least two practice tests when studying for an AP test.

 

My son just finished up his first year of engineering school. He made it through chapters 1-5 of the Larson book and got a 5 on the Calculus AB AP test. At college he was required (along with everybody elst - not because he was homeschooled) to take a math placement test. He passed and went on to Calc II. So far he has taken 4 math classes at college (Calc II, Vector Geometry, Linear Algebra, and Multivariable Calculus) and has received a solid A in each of them.

 

He feels Chalkdust was very good prep for his college math classes. He likes math and is considering double majoring in it along with CS. He advises all future engineering students to really concentrate on memorizing the trigonometric relationships in precalc.

 

HTH,

GardenMom

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I think we are refering to Calculus of a single variable, which is Calculus not precalc.

 

Barb

 

Okay, the point I'm making (LOL) is that Larson wrote *several* Calculus texts, and they are all Calculus. And any of them will work with the DVDs. And some portion of each one will work as "Calc I" credit for high school.

 

But yes, Chalkdust uses the title "Calculus ...Single Variable."

 

I'm using "Calculus I with PreCalculus" with my dd and it is also calculus (single variable). :) The "with PreCalculus" part just turns it into a one-year course. I'm thinking it will work just fine with the DVDs. I will *definitely* let you know if I'm wrong. Now that the plans have changed for my dd (sigh) I'm not sure if I can coerce her to finish this book at home anyway. She'll probably take the COMPASS and take College Algebra instead...and I may never get her as far as Calculus.

 

Lori

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Another Saxon question....my dd has been very successful with the Saxon method. She wants to take Calculus this year. I've been struggling with all the same issues...Chalkdust price, Larsen text, etc. Here's my question: Has anyone prepared for the Calculus AB AP test with Saxon Dive CD's and been very successful? I'm leery because I'm NOT a math teacher and worry about not choosing a 'recommended' text. Any words of wisdom/experience would be MUCH appreciated.

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We stayed with Saxon for Calculus and my son had an easy time with Calculus in college. Since he was an engineering major, I had him retake Calc I in college. I wanted him to make an easy transition to math there, but he says it was the third semester of Calc before he saw anything he did not know.

 

Linda

 

:iagree: We did not use Saxon. Ds used Foerster's Calculus; he had used the series from alg 1, but he had the same experience. He was very well prepared for calc, and did not encounter anything really new until calc III.

 

Since you've been using Saxon, I think you should just continue.

 

Mary

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