A complete Calculus 1 course: 44 plain-language lessons on limits, derivatives, and integrals, with 840+ practice problems and a full worked solution for every one. Take the whole course, or get help with the class you're in.
Two ways to learn
Students start calculus from very different places. Start at the beginning, or go straight to the part you need.
Seven units in order, from a review of the algebra you need to integrals. Each unit ends with mixed problems, a practice assessment and a unit assessment.
Already taking calculus? Find the exact explanation you need, practice before a test, or refresh the algebra a lesson depends on.
The course
The standard CalculusDX topics from a first college course or AP Calculus AB, plus a review unit at the start.
Unit 0 · Optional review
Optional review of the algebra and precalculus that calculus uses. Ends with a readiness check.
Unit 1
What a limit is, how to find one from a graph or with algebra, asymptotes, and continuity.
Unit 2
The derivative as a slope and a rate of change, and the basic rules for finding derivatives.
Unit 3
The chain rule, implicit differentiation, and derivatives of exponential, logarithmic, and inverse functions.
Unit 4
Maximums and minimums, the Mean Value Theorem, linear approximation, and L'Hôpital's rule.
Unit 5
Related rates, what derivatives say about the shape of a graph, curve sketching, and optimization.
Open Unit 5 →Unit 6
Antiderivatives, area, the definite integral, the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, and substitution.
Not sure where to start?
The Unit 0 test shows whether your algebra, functions, and trig are ready for calculus, and which review lessons to brush up on.
Check my readinessHow it works
Every lesson explains the idea first, shows it on a graph, works through examples, then gives you practice with the full work shown.
Lessons
Each idea is explained in everyday words before any example uses it, and technical words are defined the first time they appear.
Practice
Practice problems, quizzes, and assessments all open to a complete worked solution, not just the answer.
Study tools
Guides for choosing the right method, mixed practice for every exam, and one-page summaries for every unit. All of it works on your phone, in light or dark mode.
Already in a class?
Type what you're stuck on. Each question links to the part of the course that answers it.
The number is the lesson. For example, 1.5 is Unit 1, Lesson 5.
No exact match. Try a shorter word, like “limit” or “area”.
Answer a few quick questions about your problem and it points you to the method, with drills for practicing the choice.
Open the Playbook → ✓Mixed sets for each exam and the final, each problem linked to the lesson that teaches it.
See the exam prep sets → 1Every unit's rules, key ideas, and most common mistakes on one printable page.
See the Unit 1 summary →Pricing
FAQ
Can't find your answer? The course's Find a topic page searches every lesson.
CalculusDX is a Calculus 1 course — the first course in calculus. It covers limits, derivatives, and an introduction to integrals.
It is usually taken in the first year of college, or as AP Calculus AB in high school. This course covers the same topics, explained in plain language, with a full worked solution for every problem.
It covers limits and continuity, derivatives and the rules for finding them, applications of derivatives, and integrals through the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus and substitution.
Applications include related rates, curve sketching, optimization, linear approximation, and L'Hôpital's rule. An optional first unit reviews algebra, functions, exponentials and logarithms, and trigonometry.
You need algebra, functions, exponentials and logarithms, and trigonometry, but you don't need to have mastered them first.
Unit 0 reviews all of it and ends with a readiness check. Each later lesson also links to the review sections it depends on.
Yes. You can search for the topic you're stuck on and jump straight to the section that explains it.
There are also guides for choosing the right method, mixed practice for each exam and the final, and one-page summary sheets for each unit.
Yes. Every practice problem, review question, and test question shows the complete work, not just the final answer.
Each solution starts with a short plan that names the method and says why it fits, so you learn how to start a problem as well as how to finish it.
The course has 44 lessons in 7 units, and you go at your own pace.
Each lesson has a reading with examples followed by a practice set, so plan on one or two study sessions per lesson. If you're using it alongside a class, you can do just the lessons you need.
It is written for students who find math hard. Ideas are explained in everyday words before any symbols or examples, and technical terms are defined when they first appear.
Graphs show what each idea looks like, and every solution shows each step.
No. This is a self-paced course for learning Calculus 1, not an accredited course for credit.
It covers the same material as a college Calculus 1 class, so it works well to prepare for one, to keep up during one, or to study for an exam such as AP Calculus AB.
The course is free. Sign up with your email to access the course.
That includes all units, lessons, practice problems, quizzes, assessments, and the study tools.
Yes. The course works on phones, tablets, and computers, in light or dark mode, and math and graphs are sized to fit small screens.
44 lessons, 840+ problems, and a full worked solution for every one. The whole course is free.
Start the course