Gearing Up For Calculus 2: Need Advice!

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around preparing for Calculus 2, with participants sharing advice, resources, and personal experiences related to the course content and study strategies. The scope includes conceptual understanding, study techniques, and resource recommendations.

Discussion Character

  • Homework-related
  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest reviewing Calculus 1 material to ensure a solid foundation before starting Calculus 2.
  • Recommendations for online resources include PatrickJMT and Khan Academy, with some participants noting their effectiveness in learning.
  • One participant emphasizes the importance of mastering integrals and suggests looking into series and summation notation.
  • There is a question about the specific content of Calculus 2, with mentions of techniques of integration, improper integrals, and infinite series.
  • Another participant expresses a preference for older textbooks, finding them more enjoyable and easier to understand compared to modern ones.
  • Some participants discuss the varying content of Calculus 2 across different curricula, with references to differentiation in multiple variables and connections to later courses like Intermediate Calculus and Multivariable Calculus.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the importance of reviewing prior material and utilizing specific resources, but there is no consensus on the exact content and structure of Calculus 2, as different educational institutions may have varying approaches.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention different interpretations of what Calculus 2 entails, highlighting the variability in course content and structure across different educational systems.

Lo.Lee.Ta.
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Hi, you guys.

I am going to take Calculus 2 next semester... And I would not say I am a math genius or anything... :/

So do you know of anything helpful to understand Calculus 2 very well?
I want to study some over the break to have a head-start.

Thank you! :)
 
Physics news on Phys.org


You can hang around here at PF!
 


Lo.Lee.Ta. said:
Hi, you guys.

I am going to take Calculus 2 next semester... And I would not say I am a math genius or anything... :/

So do you know of anything helpful to understand Calculus 2 very well?
I want to study some over the break to have a head-start.

Thank you! :)

Be distrustful of your grade from Calculus 1. Restudy as much as you can from Calculus 1 before starting Calculus 2, since you might have earned a good grade, but you also probably learned a few things less well than you think, and you could find those things to be necessary for your ability to learn Calculus 2.
 


PatrickJMT.com
Khanacademy

* Especially PatrickJMT, I basically learned Calculus 2 and 3 from him.

Got those A's too!

Just make sure you know your integrals well and maybe look a little into series and summation notation.
 


Okay, thanks you guys! I'll be on Physics Forums and watching Khan Academy videos and PatrickJMT's YouTube videos!

Thanks for your help! :D
 


what is calc 2? integral calc of one variable, or advanced calc of several variables? or ?
 
Lo.Lee.Ta. said:
Okay, thanks you guys! I'll be on Physics Forums and watching Khan Academy videos and PatrickJMT's YouTube videos!

Thanks for your help! :D

In my opinion, if you take the best parts of Patrick JMT and Khan Academy and combine them, you will have Math is power 4 u.

Not sure of the exact address, but google mathispower4u to find it.

Mac
 


mathwonk said:
what is calc 2? integral calc of one variable, or advanced calc of several variables? or ?

The semester lengthed course before "Intermediate Calculus"; the semester long course before multivariable Calculus. Techniques of Integration, Improper Integrals, Infinite Series
 


Make a stack of flashcards of derivatives/integrals/trig identities and study it until you have it burned into your brain. You should be able to blurt out in your sleep any of the basics with zero hesitation. You will need to able to do u-subs in your head, so if you falter with any of the basic derivatives/integrals, you're setting yourself up for pain.

PatrickJMT videos on Youtube were a great help for me, personally.
 
  • #10


I'm pretty much in the same position as the OP. Just finished Calc I (which refers to an introduction to limits, derivatives, and integrals) and will be starting Calc II in January. In my opinion, I think it depends on what you learn from best. Myself, I've found that (generally) the textbooks of today are too bloated with silly pictures and whatnot. I enjoy so much more reading from a book written in the 50s-80s.

I'm an engineering student, so as tempting as it is to try something like Spivak or Apostol, they are a bit too rigorous for me, and I've found a book entitled 'Modern Calculus with Analytic Geometry' by A.W. Goodman (1967). There are a few proofs, but not as deep as other books.

My point being, I think if you find something you enjoy, wether it be old books, new books, paul's online math notes, videos, anything, find what that is and learn from it. Older books are written in a way that appeals to me, and it makes it natural for me to keep reading from them, making the learning process more enjoyable.
 
  • #11


symbolipoint said:
The semester lengthed course before "Intermediate Calculus"; the semester long course before multivariable Calculus. Techniques of Integration, Improper Integrals, Infinite Series

Interesting here that was still Calculus I minus the infinite series.
Calc 2 was differentiation in multiple variables, gradients and some intro to diff eqs
Calc 3 integration in multiple variables, green's, stokes and gauss theorems etc
Calc 4 diff eqs and infinite series
 

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