What do I need to study before precalculus?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around what foundational topics and resources participants recommend for preparing for a precalculus course, particularly for someone pursuing a bachelor's degree in computer science. The focus includes study strategies, resource suggestions, and areas of mathematics to review.

Discussion Character

  • Homework-related
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a need for guidance on what to study to prepare for precalculus, indicating a willingness to dedicate significant time to studying.
  • Another participant suggests using textbooks from the school library and encourages self-study, while inviting the original poster to return with questions.
  • A different participant provides a link to OpenStax as a resource for finding appropriate precalculus textbooks and mentions the relevance of discrete mathematics for computer science, suggesting it could be studied independently.
  • Another response reiterates the importance of algebra as a foundational topic and recommends Khan Academy or textbooks as starting points for study.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the importance of algebra and self-study resources, but there is no consensus on specific study materials or methods, as different suggestions are provided.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the lack of specific recommendations for the depth of algebra topics to cover and the varying availability of resources based on individual preferences.

Who May Find This Useful

Students preparing for precalculus, particularly those pursuing degrees in computer science or related fields, may find this discussion helpful.

CoffeeCat
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Summary: I need to know what to study in order to prepare for precalculus

I'll be starting classes in spring and I'm working towards a bachelors in computer science. My first math class will be precalculus. Math has always been an intimidating subject for me(my WEAKEST subject), but I'm willing to work as hard as possible to understand it. I wanted to know what I should be doing now in other to be ready (like a Khan academy course?). I'm willing to set aside 4 hours a day for studying. Thanks for the help.
 
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Why not look at textbooks in your school library, pick one you like, work on your own and drop by this site with any questions? I don't know if there are classes to prep for precalc , as it is a basic course in most schools.
 
You can find appropriate books here, e.g. https://openstax.org/details/books/precalculus
You will sooner or later meet discrete mathematics on your way to computer science. This is more or less independent from mathematics at school so you could read about it independently.
 
CoffeeCat said:
I need to know what to study in order to prepare for precalculus
Algebra...
Khan Academy would be a good place to start, or if you want a textbook, a search on Amazon or other booksellers' sites would turn up lots of textbooks.
 

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