Studying Calculus-Some help, please?

[jobsism]

Hello everyone! :)

I've just finished high school, and have got about 3 months before college begins. So, during this time, I was thinking of doing some self-study in Mathematics and Physics, as I realized that pop-sci books only give me a superficial understanding, and reading them although is fun, is actually quite a waste of time.

So, after looking around a lot of similar threads on here, and researching some study resources, I've come to the decision that I need to gain more skills in Math, to truly understand Physics. So, after having completed a review of high school algebra and trigonometry (which I think I'm pretty good at now), I was thinking of starting MIT Opencourseware's Scholar course on Single Variable Calculus (And also Paul's Online Math Notes for more practice problems). The course claims to be self-contained, both in terms of Theory and Problem Sets. So, is this a good choice, or do you guys think textbooks would serve better in gaining skill? Of course, I do realize that in order to truly master Calculus, one has to beat the legendary Spivak, but I don't think I'm ready for that level yet. So, would the OCW course suffice for a first (yet rigorous)exposure?

Also, is it necessary to be proficient in Complex Numbers or Statistics (just to be sure! :D) before starting Calculus? I'm kinda weak on those two topics.

Any help is deeply appreciated! Thanks! :)

 

[R.Mesri]

</code>Yes, the MIT Opencourseware course is a great choice for a first exposure to Calculus. It's an excellent resource that covers all the basics of calculus and provides plenty of practice problems as well. As for Complex Numbers and Statistics, these are not required for starting a Calculus course, but they will certainly help with understanding certain concepts and ideas in more depth. If you feel like you need more help with these topics, you can always review the material from high school or look for free online resources.