Are there any good video lectures for learning Calculus I?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around recommendations for video lectures that can aid in learning Calculus I. Participants share various resources, including links to specific lecture series and personal experiences with the materials. The scope includes both introductory calculus content and supplementary resources for self-learners.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants recommend video lectures by Adrian Banner, noting their clarity and educational value.
  • Others mention additional resources such as freevideolectures.com and iTunes U, highlighting their extensive collections of math and science lectures.
  • Several participants inquire about specific video lectures that align with particular textbooks, such as Spivak's, for self-study purposes.
  • One participant expresses interest in the identity of a professor featured in YouTube videos labeled "Lugosi Teaches Math," leading to discussions about the actual lecturer, Herb Gross.
  • Some participants share their positive experiences with specific platforms like MIT's OpenCourseWare and PatrickJMT, emphasizing their effectiveness in understanding calculus concepts.
  • There are mentions of websites that provide interactive help and video responses to homework questions, which some find particularly beneficial.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the usefulness of video lectures for learning calculus, but there is no consensus on which specific resources are the best or most effective. Multiple competing views on preferred platforms and lecturers remain present throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express confusion about navigating available resources, indicating a potential limitation in the organization of the information shared. Additionally, there are unresolved questions regarding the effectiveness of different video lectures on individual learning outcomes.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for students seeking supplementary resources for learning calculus, self-learners looking for structured video content, and educators interested in diverse teaching materials.

Darkiekurdo
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Don't know if it's already been posted somewhere else, my apologies if it has been, but I found http://press.princeton.edu/video/banner/8351.html" video lectures by Adrian Banner quite educational. It's not very advanced stuff, but everything is explained very clearly. Good stuff.
 
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That actually looks like calc 1 and 2
 
This will be useful.
 
few more calculus videos at freevideolectures.com/calculus.php
 
Thanks for the links

I am new to the forum. Are there any more really good ones I should know about? :) As I am still a little bit confused in browsing all the stuff that's here

thanks
 
thanks
 
good thanks
 
  • #10
WHO is that professor really, on the YouTube videos which have the description, "Lugosi Teaches Math...", and the several separate videos on Series, Convergence, Infinity? The person in the lectures IS NOT Bela Lugosi, but the YouTube descriptions say that he is. Who is he really, and what institution did he teach at, and when?
 
  • #11
Hey guys,

I found this really cool site that has over 50 Calculus video lectures in a neat and organized form. It also has other lectures from MIT on Calculus topics and Differential Equations. I shall warn you though: I recommend viewing the site in Firefox or Safari, because IE is being a little bit fuzzy on this one:

Calculus Video Lectures: http://www.cosmolearning.com/mathematics/courses/Calculus_Video_Lectures/video_lectures/
Single Variable Calculus: http://www.cosmolearning.com/mathematics/courses/18.01_Single_Variable_Calculus/video_lectures/
Multivariable Calculus: http://www.cosmolearning.com/mathematics/courses/18.02_Multivariable_Calculus/video_lectures/
Differential Equations: http://www.cosmolearning.com/mathematics/courses/18.03_Differential_Equations/video_lectures/

Enjoy! :smile:
 
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  • #12
Are there any single variale calc video lectures based off of spivak book? I'm planning on self learning calculus over the summer and using his book to do so. It would be nice to have some kind of a backup just in case I don't understand something. By the way, I already bought the textbook.

Edit: Also which colleges actually use spivak or apostol as their textbook? Is it possible to skip calc I/II if we demonstrate sufficient knowledge on the subjects through an exam they give us?
 
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  • #13
Darkiekurdo said:
Don't know if it's already been posted somewhere else, my apologies if it has been, but I found http://press.princeton.edu/video/banner/8351.html" video lectures by Adrian Banner quite educational. It's not very advanced stuff, but everything is explained very clearly. Good stuff.
I used these for my distance course (no lectures). I found them very good.
 
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  • #14
symbolipoint said:
WHO is that professor really, on the YouTube videos which have the description, "Lugosi Teaches Math...", and the several separate videos on Series, Convergence, Infinity? The person in the lectures IS NOT Bela Lugosi, but the YouTube descriptions say that he is. Who is he really, and what institution did he teach at, and when?

The answer is, "Herb Gross", or "Herbert Gross", (possibly from a school in Maryland). Someone posted the man's name on the YouTube messages for one of these videos.
 
  • #15
A good place to look for video lectures is on iTunes U, they have a vast assortment of math and science lectures from reputable colleges (MIT, Cornell, etc.)
 
  • #18
Keesjan said:
I just got a chance to finally watch the Linear Algebra section of his DE lectures. Very good. He has put a HUGE amount of work into creating those. Very very slick. The Calc ones look pretty good too, but I have only glanced at them...
 
  • #19
My favorite so far has been MIT's OpenCourseWare video lectures. For me, they are a nice supplement to my own studies--it is often helpful to see another strategy to solve a problem.

Dr. Jerison is a great lecturer and shows single variable Calculus in an engaging but efficient way.

http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Mathematics/18-01Fall-2006/CourseHome/index.htm
 
  • #20
  • #21
any one know of any websites to help me learn math i don't go to a school that teaches classes any more but i still want to learn it
 
  • #22
Keesjan said:

I'm actually taking Hollis @AASU this semester for pre-calculus, he's great... but I'm just now finding out about these videos. They are coming in handy because I'm also taking calculus I with a different professor, who seems to be just as confused as the class most of the time... don't get me wrong, my calculus professor does have his good days, but Hollis's videos are really helping me out.
 
  • #23
There is better than 100 video lectures on calculus at http://www.free-academy.com/homepages/calculus101.html with more being added regularly.

The nice part about the site is that they take questions. I sent in one of my homework problems that I couldn't solve on related rates and they sent me back a video with the answer later that day! Also, if you have any questions on any of the lectures they have on the site, they answer those even faster.
 
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  • #25
@ Keesjan...

Thanks for the post the link to Armstrong Atlantic State University. Looks like there is a lot of good stuff posted. Plenty of information to digest. I'll definitely check them out.

- Doc
 
  • #26
symbolipoint said:
WHO is that professor really, on the YouTube videos which have the description, "Lugosi Teaches Math...", and the several separate videos on Series, Convergence, Infinity? The person in the lectures IS NOT Bela Lugosi, but the YouTube descriptions say that he is. Who is he really, and what institution did he teach at, and when?

I've wondered myself and found this comment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvDO48IqFZE":
This is actually an excerpt from the "Calculus Revsited" video course produced in1970 by Herb Gross, who was the senior lecturer at the MIT Center for Advanced Engneering Study. The full course can be seen on YouTube by searching for "Calculus Revisited"
This was posted by the youtube user http://www.youtube.com/user/hgross3comcast" .
 
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  • #27
http://patrickjmt.com/

This guy made me pass a difficult quiz (the course average was 42% and I took 88% thanks to Patrick) in my Calculus III course. One of the best short video tutorials I have ever seen. I think he also covers Calculus in general and some other stuff.
 
  • #28
I am curious as to what effect these videos have on your understanding, and on your performance in your courses. Are you getting A's? Were you getting A's without the videos? What is your method of using the videos? How many times do you watch them? Do you stop watching at some point and work a lot of problems?

My question is motivated by a fear that some naive students may think they can learn calculus by just watching videos instead of reading, working problems and thinking. A video is a substitute for a lecture, but one in which you cannot ask questions. The good part is you can watch multiple times.

Ok now I see the comments by lucksm17 and Hiche. But I still wonder what you did in addition to watching. It sounds as if these are especially helpful to people struggling in classes with poor instructors. I still recommend a thorough reading of the book. For a strong understanding, not just a passing grade, there is no substitute for studying a great book like Apostol or Courant or Spivak.

Does anyone use the videos by watching them in advance of the class lecture? That could be the best way to get the most out of the lecture.
 
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  • #29
Well, in my case, we have a poor instructor. We are assigned a book for the course at the beginning of the semester so I usually depend on that book for self-studying considering the remote information I grasp in the lecture. This worked, well, for a while until I found Patrick's video lectures which complimented my self-studying and enhanced my understanding on the subjects assigned. I usually watch the short videos, maybe take quick notes then look for problems in the book and solve.

Now, I'm looking over the course materials before the lecture which is rendering good results now. I guess I need the extra work, be it a video lecture or whatnot, to parallel and keep up with Calculus III.
 
  • #30
mathwonk said:
My question is motivated by a fear that some naive students may think they can learn calculus by just watching videos instead of reading, working problems and thinking.

As you say, videos are lectures but without the opportunity to ask questions. If a student thinks they can go to traditional lectures and not read or work through exercises, they will have the same problems.

Personally, I used many videos when I was doing distance courses. Finding good ones made a big difference as I had no access to lectures. As mentioned above, for people who have a poor lecturer, they can also be very helpful.

Since I now have access to good lectures with excellent profs, I don't need them as much. However, they can be good review before an exam or a preview for a course coming up in the future.

The main problem is that upper-level math courses are harder to find. That is changing, though.
 

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