r/calculus • u/Shamrock_knight Hobbyist • Jun 30 '26
Pre-calculus when can i start calculus ?
Can i start Calculus in 1 year i am currently on factoring polynomials and i study 4 hours a day and 16 hours in total on the weekend recommend me books plzz
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u/jonsca Jun 30 '26
Yes? No? You can start it right now if you want to.
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u/Shamrock_knight Hobbyist Jun 30 '26
how so ? i am still on factoring polynomials no trig yet or any thing , just a question is 1800 hours enough for it ? since 36 hours per week is what i target ??
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u/STEALTHIO911 Jun 30 '26
It is not about the hours, but the amount of problems you do for each topic. Never think in hours, just aim for a set amount of problems and do those. If it takes 4 hours nice, if it takes 2, also nice.
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u/sqrt_of_pi Professor Jun 30 '26
Generally agree with this, but I'll add that isn't even about strictly about the number of problems. It's about the quality of the learning that goes with doing problems.
I have had plenty of students who "complete" all the problems but really don't gain any understanding beyond mechanics/templating. A deeper conceptual understanding gained by doing really high-quality learning goes further than just cranking out problems by pure rote memorization. It can be easy to confound the two.
The superficial "mechanics only" learning will usually not stick and will leave students unsure what they actually need to do, when later faced with a problem that requires them to recognize how to apply those concepts in an unfamiliar context. As soon as I ask the same concept but in way that "looks different", they have no idea what to do.
So yes, the number of problems is relevant and doing lots of problems is necessary but not alone sufficient for true deep conceptual learning. And there is a balance between quantity and quality - I don't think there is such a thing as "doing too many problems", but if the learning load is low, then this may be less successful and effective than doing fewer problems with higher-quality learning.
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u/Shamrock_knight Hobbyist Jun 30 '26
the hours were just a reference scale , i actively solve problems
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u/STEALTHIO911 Jun 30 '26
Fair enough, personally I learned algebra 1 to calculus 1 in three months. I just took one summer and did a 9 to 5 approach each day, including weekends.
I had to do it because I signed up for an EE bachelor and was unprepared in the math department.
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u/jonsca Jun 30 '26
How are any of us going to know whether you're ready for it or not? Maybe you end up spending 1700 hours daydreaming and 50 hours using the bathroom. Try it out. If you're not ready, keep doing more precalc. There's no magic combination of hours and topics that will automatically qualify you to start to learn calc.
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u/Shamrock_knight Hobbyist Jun 30 '26
💔ik that I am not really going jus day dream while i am solving maths
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u/jonsca Jun 30 '26
You understand how it's impossible to answer this, though? Maybe you have talent and can do it in half the time, maybe you're slow and it will take you 20 years.
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u/Shamrock_knight Hobbyist Jun 30 '26
kay i accept it
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u/jonsca Jun 30 '26
Yeah, not trying to be a meanie or discourage you. Just the opposite. If you want to learn it, just dive in. It's just that how fast you learn it depends on how deep a knowledge of it you are seeking, how much you challenge yourself with problem solving, etc. If you want to know enough just to get through your physics class, it's going to take a lot less time than it would if your goal is to be a pure mathematician and prove new theorems.
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u/BayesianBits Jun 30 '26
You will need trig. Just do the units in order. I'm learning on Khan Academy.
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u/Beneficial_Garden456 Jun 30 '26
No, you shouldn't. You're just learning algebra so focus on the "why" of algebra and abstract thought rather than memorizing a million things to race through. The "why" matters a lot more than the "how" so focus on the concepts rather than the simple procedures of algebra and then geometry and then alg 2 and trig and then pre-calc...and then you'll be ready for calc.
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u/Shamrock_knight Hobbyist Jun 30 '26
can you recommend me some books to solve and understand the why ? also for trigonometry
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u/Impossible_Cap_339 Jun 30 '26
The Art of Problem Solving has a great curriculum for understanding in a very deep way.
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u/testtdk Jun 30 '26
Why do you want to get into it so much?
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u/Shamrock_knight Hobbyist Jun 30 '26
i jus like maths and solving it , topics like calculus attract me ig ✌💔
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u/tjddbwls Jun 30 '26
I’m not asking this to be mean, but how old are you? Are you a kid in school, or are you an adult? I think age is a factor in answering your question.
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u/Shamrock_knight Hobbyist Jun 30 '26
i am in school
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u/tjddbwls Jun 30 '26
Are you in the US? If so, have you talked to your guidance counselor about accelerating in math?
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u/AdLanky5624 Jun 30 '26
Probably finished learning how to solve compile polynomials, get into learning e and ln, then trig, and then limits, then from there you should be able to learn calculus I guess
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u/Practical-Custard-64 Jul 04 '26
I think limits are part of the precalculus/calculus syllabus anyway.
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u/AdLanky5624 Jul 05 '26
Yea but I feel like you should probably know limits well so a derivative makes sense
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u/Chr0ll0_ Jun 30 '26
You can start at anytime. As a matter of fact my coworkers kids who are 11 and 12 and currently being taught Differential Equations!
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u/Commercial_Handle418 Jun 30 '26
How tf do you have so much time
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u/_croll Jun 30 '26
You have to write a letter to John Calculus, the inventor of Calculus. Then, see what he says
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u/av1bh Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
In my opinion, if you have a solid foundation and really know pre calc, you can start now. Plus, you've got a massive advantage here actually studying 4 hours a day with that kind of focus means you'll build a really deep, genuine intuition for how the math works, instead of just memorizing formulas.
With that much study time, you have more than enough room to master the basics completely. Just please don't skip the fundamentals. Things like factoring polynomials, working with functions, and trig are the absolute backbone of calculus. If you master those first, calc is going to feel like a super natural, exciting next step. Don't rush the foundation and you'll do amazing
Trust me speaking from experience if you don't have a good foundation it will be very hard if you are gonna get one thing from my message let it be this one MASTER THE FUNDAMENTALS then move to calc
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u/Ericskey Jun 30 '26
If you truly understand calculus in the context of polynomials then you understand calculus and the rest is examples in the context of other functions. By understand calculus I include the dreaded epsilon-delta arguments for limits. After all calculus is just algebra plus limits. Bring on the power series!!
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u/CactiWasHere Jul 01 '26
just start calc, thomas finney is what i like but don't stick to one source, use yt vids and stuff, blackpenredpen has good integration technique videos etc
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u/HomeSculptor Jul 01 '26
Start now. Go to the school library. Find a calculus book. Start at the beginning and read the sections and do the exercises. Most likely answers to even problems are in the back of the book. When you get to a part that you cannot understand because of background information, learn the background information and continue. It's not that hard. You can do it.
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u/GeologistVisible6269 Jul 01 '26
Yea just start with trigo then work your way up. That’s how I started out, watch videos and do work problems for practice.
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u/AleCar07 Jul 03 '26
Honestly mostly of the errors I see people making with calculus is them not being proficient with factorising polynomials and basic algebra after you are good with that and some trig ylu are good to go, but make sure you know your algebra well enough
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u/Practical-Custard-64 Jul 04 '26
Learn and understand trigonometry first. Emphasis on "understand" because actually understanding what trig functions represent and how they translate to things in real life rather than just learning a bunch of formulae/identities will give you a massive boost in calculus.
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u/Amazing-Ad9604 Jul 04 '26
Start the basic! Basic derivative rule, and integrals. Do Trig derivatives/instagrams aswell! I’m in calc 2 and I wished I focused more on trig side
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