The best way
to learn any kind of math is to do it. Watching videos and listening to lectures may be
beneficial to an overall understanding, but to become proficient one must use a pencil and paper
and be prepared for a great deal of practice.
Make sure that you have a solid
understanding of algebra and geometry principles before you begin. Without this you will
probably be lost.
Khan Academy has various lectures on Pre-Calculus. There is
an entire series of them where you can click on a topic, i.e. conic sections and get a good
overview of the work. Youtube also has entire playlists devoted to Pre-Calculus students. These
are handy because you can stop the video and watch parts of it again. Most of the useful videos
are an hour long but there are some that provide very basic overviews in as little as five
minutes.
Calculus for Dummies by Mark Ryan would also be
a good source. It has sample problems that you can work and re-check. The Humongous
Book of Calculus Problems by W. Michael Kelley is precisely as advertisedit is a
large book of calculus problems with step-by-step solutions. The trickier problems also have
helpful hints in the margins with a skull-and-crossbones logo to let you know that the problem
may be hard for a beginner student. Another added bonus to this book is that it can help you in
other calculus classes beyond Pre-Calculus. The book is over five hundred pages long and has an
index. Kelley has also written other math books similar to this one so they can be a resource
for refresher material if you need it.
I'm sending a
link to one of the Youtube videos I mentioned.
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