What can I expect going into Calculus 1 in college?

Question

Any specific algebra techniques to keep in mind? Or all new material?

Answer 1

knowing how to solve equations is pretty important

know your log rules;

knowing the binomial theorem can help;

know some simple trig identities;

know basic differentiation (e.g. chain, product, etc)/integration (substitution, parts etc);

knowing something about limits helps;

being confident with functions;

Answer 2

(In response to the person that mentioned differentiation, integration, and limits: those are actually what you learn in Calculus I... I think binomial theorem is overkill for Calculus I too.)

Solving quadratic equations comes up fairly often, but the main things you would want to remember are:

How to factor, reduce, combine algebraic fractions, and otherwise simplify and manipulate equations.

Rules of exponents and logarithms

Trigonometric properties (the functions, basic identities, the unit circle)

Equations for lines (slope, intercept)

Other than that... graphing, function notation, and other basic things like that. If you did alright with the above, it shouldn't be too much of a transition.

Calculus introduces a new way of looking at problems, some new operators, and some applications. Basically, calculus teaches to look at how things act as you get closer to doing something that you cannot do directly; then it teaches methods and shortcuts of doing them.

If you can understand the ideas and remember the methods (which aren't too bad if they are explained well so that they make sense), then the only hard part would be not forgetting algebraic rules and methods.

Answer 3

Calculus. The nest giant leap in math after algebra.

Basically all of the algebra you've learned, all the identities and all of the functions you studied will be used again. The thing with all math is that with every step you take, new theories you learn are deeply rooted and built on the old stuff.

Although calculus is built on algebra and all that it does bring some fairly new concepts to the table from the high school math. In calculus they will show you the concept of a limit. They will show you how to take a derivative (find the slope of any function at any point with another function) and they will show you how to integrate (find the area under a graph, opposite of derivative).

Although I didn't go into the details and I may have simplified some of the stuff, the Calculus you will be learning is going to play an important part in anything you do in the future with science.

Answer 4

You will have built up a background knowledge without necessarily being aware of this.

This knowledge will then be utilised in your Calculus 1 course.

Chill out meantime !

Good luck !

Answer 5

blood, sweat, and tears...

good luck!