Question

what level of education (in the uk system) is required to understand this course?

I did my GCSE maths and scored high (B) i then went on to A-level maths but dropped out after the teacher turned out to be useless (no one could pass the first semester) but i find maths fairly easy to understand.

Is this course going to be too far above my current level to grasp?

Answer 1

Doubtful. If you have a good grasp of algebra this should not be difficult. Simply spend time reviewing the video lectures to understand each step. Since you are not in a 'formal' classroom setting, if you need 3 days for a lecture, take it!

Not sure about the UK, but here in the US there are lots of easily available Calculus study guides/problem books in bookstores - I'd suggest picking one up if you don't have the text for this class (personal opinion - you don't need the textbook for this class - basic calc is pretty generic across any book you get). As I mentioned in another post, WolframAlpha and/or Mathematica are *huge* helps in plotting equations - use them!

Answer 2

I am redoing Maths A level this year having first done it in 1968
(and done something else in between)
and this is as you would expect a first course at uni
You need to re read C3 and C4 AQA books and then you will find this interesting well done and understandable. Good luck

Answer 3

I would say it's about the same level as an A-Level in Maths/Further Maths (details escape me; it was > 20 years ago). MIT will usually let someone with a Maths A-Level (and/or Further Maths) waive this introductory lecture.