ok guys, I'm going into grade 12, and right now i'm shitting my pants. So during the summer break I'm like fuck this shit i'm gonna take some courses to prepare myself for grade 12. So so far i am taking advance functions and grade 12 physics, physics is ok, but omfg im almost done advance functions and starting calculus, i'm so fucking scared. My teacher likes to show off so he wrote some shit about derivatives and limits on the board in our advance functions class, and i'm kinda scared of calculus now. People say its a hardcore subject, and to be honest i am a very competitive person who has always been achieving high marks in math during all the high school years. So my problem is, for those of you who taken calculus before, is it really really that challenging? If you have some advice or tips for me, they will be appreciated. =D

Conquest101

United States1395 Posts

July 28 2008 05:01 GMT

Depends, what kind of calculus course is it? Generally speaking, basic calculus (IE derivatives and shit) is pretty easy IMO. It would also depend on the high school you go to I would imagine, since some super elite prep school might have some crazy version of your basic calc class.

decafchicken

United States20176 Posts

July 28 2008 05:01 GMT

wtf why would you take anything remotely difficult senior year? My hardest class was like Individual Reading.

Jibba

United States22883 Posts

July 28 2008 05:02 GMT

I'm not sure how difficulties are handled in Canada, but Calc isn't that bad.

The hardest highschool level in the US (BC Calculus) can be difficult, but not back breaking if you actually pay attention.

Plus, not that we're going to do your homework for you, but there's about a million posters on TL that can explain any calculus question you have.

BuGzlToOnl

United States5918 Posts

July 28 2008 05:02 GMT

I took it and dropped it in college.

Don't be scared thou it's like any other math class, its challenging, but very doable. Just make sure you don't fall behind and if you don't understand a particular thing ask about it. If you get behind during the first couple of chapters its really hard to get back on top of things. Because material kinda of builds on top of itself what you use the first couple of lessons you'll end up using throughout the rest of the year.

micronesia

United States24809 Posts

July 28 2008 05:03 GMT

Calculus can be overwhelming, depending on how it is presented to you. If you are interested in it, and can discuss it with someone who already is competent in it, then it can be easy (and sometimes fun) to learn. The lower level stuff isn't that 'hard' but the upper level stuff requires a lot of work.

Ecael

United States6703 Posts

July 28 2008 05:04 GMT

On July 28 2008 14:02 Jibba wrote:
I'm not sure how difficulties are handled in Canada, but Calc isn't that bad.

The hardest highschool level in the US (BC Calculus) can be difficult, but not back breaking if you actually pay attention.

Plus, not that we're going to do your homework for you, but there's about a million posters on TL that can explain any calculus question you have.

After Raithe's threads throughout the summer I was beginning to think that I should just dump any future math problems on TL blogs :p

blabber

United States4450 Posts

July 28 2008 05:10 GMT

High school calculus should be pretty easy, the AP test can make you go "wtf" but if you understand the material then you should have no problem with it

Calculus taught in college will obviously be harder

Monokeros

United States2493 Posts

July 28 2008 05:13 GMT

On July 28 2008 14:01 decafchicken wrote:
wtf why would you take anything remotely difficult senior year? My hardest class was like Individual Reading.

You sir get the award of going BEYOND expectations because you joined a class where they expect YOU to READ ALONE congradulations on your accomplishments.

Wow. Then again I had easy beans senior classes too, if you're not shooting for valedictorian then you should've just stayed away from that stuff until college imho(thats what I did and am about to take those classes :O ) BTW Calculus is NOT THAT hard I took Algebra 2 3 years in a row (LOLOLOL) because it was my nap class for 3 years.

My friends both upperclassmen(when i was a sophmore/junior) and my peers(when i was senior) showed me their calculus homework, and I'm not trying to brag but honestly I wasn't that shocked by it. Of course I didnt solve it the instant I look at it, im no novel genius or anything but if I sat down with it for a few hours the concepts are pretty easy to get and if you have a good math foundation(id hope so if you got this far) this stuff is cake, and this cake is not a lie.

Wasabi

United States3085 Posts

July 28 2008 05:13 GMT

#10

--- Nuked ---

Kupon3ss

時の回廊10066 Posts

July 28 2008 05:14 GMT

#11

The calculus showoff stuff isn't all that scary, its much like the way long algebraic functions were scary back when u didn't understand but became easy after you learned to simplify

but basic calculus really isn't that hard, especially in the elementary levels and when you get to use a calculator

Raithed

China7078 Posts

July 28 2008 05:15 GMT

#12

Raithed*

dude, calculus is really easy. its just my profs suck. =p

paper

13197 Posts

July 28 2008 05:21 GMT

#13

calculus is ridiculously easy in high school

don't even fret o_O

so many underachievers in this thread ;;

SayaSP

Laos5494 Posts

July 28 2008 05:24 GMT

#14

On July 28 2008 14:01 decafchicken wrote:
wtf why would you take anything remotely difficult senior year? My hardest class was like Individual Reading.

Decaf... Hmm. Yes, yes I see now.

Mastermind

Canada7096 Posts

July 28 2008 05:26 GMT

#15

Calculus is easy man, dont worry about it. They build it up really slow and no single idea is difficult. All you need to know is a small number of simple rules for the entire course. If you have done well in math in the past calculus will be no different.

eazo

United States530 Posts

July 28 2008 05:29 GMT

#16

Dont worry too much about. Honestly, i think it depends on teacher to teacher. When i took a pre-calc class, it was somewaht hard for me b/c of the teacher being an over-acheiver and really not holding anything back. She gave hard tests and lots of hw. However, calculus was some what easier for me b/c the teacher was more laid back...and normal. Calculus doesn't have to be that hard, many people just seem to make it that way in their mind.

ShaLLoW[baY]

Canada12499 Posts

July 28 2008 05:31 GMT

#17

I just graduated from Grade 12, and Calculus 12 is really, really easy. Just make sure to pay attention in class; if you understand limits, which are easy, the course will be a breeze.

What province are you in?

Fr33t

United States1128 Posts

July 28 2008 05:36 GMT

#18

I am also going into my senior year and took Calc AB last year. Take this from a guy that played games on his calculator and slept straight through some classes, it is not a hard class. I got a 4 on the AP exam and I did zero studying outside of class. If you are worried, just pay attention and make sure you get the fundamentals down. Like mastermind said it's nothing more than putting a couple of small rules together to solve a problem.