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Be comfortable differentiating and integrating.
Factoring/completing the square.
Someone who says everything you learn will be new is forgetting that you need to know how to do these things to do what they are teaching you. They will assume you can do these things in your sleep.
EDIT: This is the bossest boss of a math teacher boss that ever walked the earth.
This book covers every topic in any first year math course generally and specifically with examples worked out in layman's terms.
http://mathematicssurvivalkit.ca/
If you buy it you will open it every time you forget how to do anything becuase its all there.
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Practice is important... but I'm going to say just relax and enjoy the rest of your summer. It's first year calculus, for god sakes, unless you did terrible in high school you shouldn't worry at all. Also have an open mind - this is obvious - and follow your professor's style, completely. If it conflicts with your own beliefs, throw out your own beliefs. High school teacher said otherwise? Well it's a fking PROFESSOR telling you what you need to know for you to obtain that credit so obey your professor.
Waterloo... Canada, right? Yes, Waterloo is well-known for having great co-op programs providing students with co-op experience. However - not all co-op necessarily is in your field of study (most common case is being hired by software developers to do tedious coding) and you will soon find out, as others said, you'll need to really plan a long road ahead. That being said, if PhD in physics is something you really want, I recommend switching out of Waterloo (co-op / practical-oriented school) and going somewhere more research-oriented. Why waste time doing useless co-op as a codemonkey or an html slave when you can focus on courses only and speed your way towards higher degrees?
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On August 18 2011 23:43 TheGiz wrote:- Also don't expect to get a teaching job in Canada in the next 20 years. EVERYBODY goes into teaching. Hell, Brock University alone will ensure that the field is saturated until the end of civilization.
This made me laugh.
I've never taken MATH137, but the subject matter looks similar those covered in MATH117, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. If you have taken high school calculus a lot of it will be things you already know, and so it will just be refreshing your memory.
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If you are looking for a good Calc textbook for Cal I and II, I can vouch for Stewarts Early Transcendentals. Get the solution manual as well, and then just do every odd question for every chapter, then 1a2a3a your way through the course 
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On August 18 2011 22:38 Ian Ian Ian wrote:
Thanks for the advice.
At Waterloo there are actually 2 MathPhys programs, a science one and a math one. Each one focuses more on their own courses. I am currently in the math one.
And yes, I will be taking Math137, and that's what I'm worried about. Not really thinking about long term at all, just going into this class. I am kicking myself now for not taking very consistent notes in my highschool calculus class, and am just looking for somewhere where I can find some practice questions or something like that. My textbook has far too much explanation and not enough practice imo, and I'd rather use something else.
You are going to take Math137 at Waterloo? Are you planning to take Math138, Math237, and then Amath calc 4?
I was just wondering because I also go to Waterloo and I think I have the notes for all the courses mentioned above somewhere. If you need them as an aid I'll gladly go and dig them up for you.
P.S dont worry about calculus in general. IMO as long as you know your integration methods, it should pretty much set you well on the cruise.
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On August 19 2011 06:13 emperorchampion wrote:If you are looking for a good Calc textbook for Cal I and II, I can vouch for Stewarts Early Transcendentals. Get the solution manual as well, and then just do every odd question for every chapter, then 1a2a3a your way through the course
I like this book too!
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On August 18 2011 22:38 Ian Ian Ian wrote:
Thanks for the advice.
At Waterloo there are actually 2 MathPhys programs, a science one and a math one. Each one focuses more on their own courses. I am currently in the math one.
And yes, I will be taking Math137, and that's what I'm worried about. Not really thinking about long term at all, just going into this class. I am kicking myself now for not taking very consistent notes in my highschool calculus class, and am just looking for somewhere where I can find some practice questions or something like that. My textbook has far too much explanation and not enough practice imo, and I'd rather use something else.
Which book do you use for 137? Most first year books have solutions to at least the odd numbered problems.
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On August 19 2011 08:39 itachisan wrote:Show nested quote +On August 18 2011 22:38 Ian Ian Ian wrote:
Thanks for the advice.
At Waterloo there are actually 2 MathPhys programs, a science one and a math one. Each one focuses more on their own courses. I am currently in the math one.
And yes, I will be taking Math137, and that's what I'm worried about. Not really thinking about long term at all, just going into this class. I am kicking myself now for not taking very consistent notes in my highschool calculus class, and am just looking for somewhere where I can find some practice questions or something like that. My textbook has far too much explanation and not enough practice imo, and I'd rather use something else. You are going to take Math137 at Waterloo? Are you planning to take Math138, Math237, and then Amath calc 4? I was just wondering because I also go to Waterloo and I think I have the notes for all the courses mentioned above somewhere. If you need them as an aid I'll gladly go and dig them up for you. P.S dont worry about calculus in general. IMO as long as you know your integration methods, it should pretty much set you well on the cruise.
Idk about Math237 and Amath calc 4, but yeah 137 and 138. I am supposed to be taking 127 and 128 but I took the "advanced" math courses for whatever reason.
I'd gladly take you out for a beer in exchange for some notes.
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On August 18 2011 07:13 kNyTTyM wrote:+ Show Spoiler +I used this channel for my linear algebra course because my professor was horrible. Being alone in the comfort of my own room made the material much simpler. Not sure how the calc version though.
Holy hell. I think I learned more in 15 minutes of that video than I did in a year of calculus in college. It always amazes me to what teachers can really bring into the subject when they put their heart into it.
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EPT
