Should I Learn Calculus Before Reading the Feynman Lectures?

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Understanding calculus is essential for grasping the concepts in the Feynman Lectures, especially for students who may struggle without a foundational knowledge. It's recommended to learn some basic calculus, such as derivatives and integrals, to enhance comprehension of the physics presented. While it's beneficial to grasp the general ideas of the lectures, having a working knowledge of calculus will aid in interpreting and solving physics problems. Engaging with the material can provide a better understanding, even if detailed calculus knowledge is not yet acquired. Balancing the learning of calculus with the reading of the lectures is advised for a more comprehensive educational experience.
TheShapeOfTime
I'm having trouble understanding the calculus in the Feynmen Lectures (I'm only in grade 11). Do you think it's better for me to learn some calculus before continueing or just to try and get the general ideas and save details for later?
 
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If you don't know calculus, you'll be lost that's for sure. The best is to learn it, but don't stop reading it, at least understand the concepts of the physics, which will prepare you for calculus based physics problems (most students know their math, but lack interpretation, the lectures should help on that)
 
TheShapeOfTime said:
I'm having trouble understanding the calculus in the Feynmen Lectures (I'm only in grade 11). Do you think it's better for me to learn some calculus before continueing or just to try and get the general ideas and save details for later?

If you know nothing about calculus, you'll probably want to learn at least a little bit, first.

Enough so that you know that the derivative is the slope of a curve and the intergal is the area under the curve. And so that you can differentiate and integrate y=x^n if needed.

If you have some level of calculus, you might try taking Doc Al's suggestion (from another thread), a standard college Halliday & Resnick text.
 
I know nothing about calculus really, so I'll learn a bit. Thanks for your replies.
 

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