LovinHS Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Ds has completed Teaching Textbooks Algebra 1 & 2, and Geometry with no problem at all. We have also done Life of Fred through Geometry. At this point could he jump into Art of Problem Solving Precalc? He did fine on the pretest, but it is difficult to tell from the sample pages what to expect. Will he be totally lost - not have the problem-solving skills needed? He did great with LoF, which requires more "thinking" than TT... Anyone started AoPS at this level? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 He'd be missing all of the algebra part of precalc, which is covered in the intermediate algebra AOPS textbook. If you look at TT precalc, they spend about 5 chapters on functions, logarithmic/exponential functions, rational functions, polynomial functions, etc. This is not in AOPS precalc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LovinHS Posted May 31, 2014 Author Share Posted May 31, 2014 I SO WISH we had discovered AoPS sooner! My son & I both really like the program from the descriptions & samples, but... According to their recommendations after Algebra 2, they suggest "Introduction to Counting & Probability" or "Introduction to Number Theory" - THEN "Intermediate Algebra" - THEN either "Intermediate Counting & Probability" or "Precalculus". From the size of the books, I am assuming each is a year-long course (?), and with just 2 yrs left he would be only doing Intermediate Algebra as a senior - probably not too impressive on a transcript. I'm beginning to think we should just use one of the Introduction books "for fun" and plug along with a regular boring text. :crying: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 No, Counting and Probability and Number Theory are optional. They are not prerequisites for Intermediate Algebra. Look at the pretest if you haven't already. If you would prefer to supplement with Aops, C&P and NT are good choices, as are Art of Problem Solving Volumes 1 and 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 You don't have to do C/P and NT. They are optional extras. You can do intermediate algebra and then precalculus. Or as wapiti said, you can continue with TT and use the problem solving books as a supplement. It might be a good idea, though, to order NT or C/P *now* and have him start over the summer. imo they are both half-credit courses so should be doable in a summer. That way if the AOPS style doesn't work for him, he will know and can choose a standard precalc text. And since they are optional extras, if he doesn't finish the book, no big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Actually, I would recommend taking the post test for alg 2. That would give you a better indication of whether or not he was ready for the intermediate alg than the pre-test. (Note that they are expected to solve without a calculator.) http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Store/products/intro-algebra/posttest.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LovinHS Posted June 2, 2014 Author Share Posted June 2, 2014 Thank you ladies - we will look into/consider all of your suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.