Classical Starting IPhO preparation in grade 10 -- Calculus book suggestions

AI Thread Summary
Starting preparation for the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) in grade 10 is feasible, even without prior calculus knowledge. A solid understanding of calculus is essential for physics, and several recommended resources can help build this foundation. Notable suggestions include the 3blue1brown and BetterExplained websites for conceptual understanding, along with MIT's single-variable calculus course for detailed study. For practical applications, OpenStax offers free textbooks on calculus and university physics, which are beneficial for both learning and practice. Additional resources like Physoly and AAPT's past exam archives provide valuable practice problems. While starting preparation may feel late for IPhO, it is never too late to enhance physics comprehension significantly.
itsdavid
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STARTING IPHO. Hi guys, I am going to grade 10 this year and wanted to start physics olympiad preparation from basics. I dont know calc 1 too. Can you suggest me a good calculus book to get my hands on? Moreover, is it late to start my preparation? Thanks in advance.
 
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It may be too late for IPhO or it might not, but it definitely won't be too late to dramatically increase your understanding of Physics.
https://knzhou.github.io/writing/Advice.pdf

Here are some free resources:

https://www.3blue1brown.com/lessons/essence-of-calculus (to avoid spoilers, read up to a question first and pause the video before the answer to the question is given)

https://betterexplained.com/guides/calculus/

https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/18-01sc-single-variable-calculus-fall-2010/

https://ximera.osu.edu/mooculus/calculus1/understandingFunctions/titlePage

https://openstax.org/details/books/calculus-volume-1

I suggest you use 3blue1brown and betterexplained to get a conceptual understanding, then use the MIT course to go into detail on that section, and use the two free books for extra practice or explanations of you need them.

If you just want a crash course, then here is the basics of calculus you need for introductory physics covered in just a few pages: https://www.everaise.org/static/media/Physics.11838194.pdf (I'd recommend this if you can handle the pace)

https://openstax.org/details/books/university-physics-volume-1

https://openstax.org/details/books/university-physics-volume-2

https://openstax.org/details/books/university-physics-volume-3

Above are some free calculus - based physics texts, but see if you can find a used copy of Halliday Resnick Krane

https://physoly.tech/ - this is a great website with tons of resources for physics olympaids

https://www.aapt.org/Common2022/pastexams.cfm - a great archive of mechanics problems (f=ma exam)

https://artofproblemsolving.com/com...prehensive_list_of_physics_olympiad_resources - more resources

If you ever reach an elite level and you can solve these: https://knzhou.github.io/handouts/Prelim.pdf, then look at Kevin Zhou's handouts
 
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