| Calculus AB covers all of the material
customarily taught in the first semester of a college-level calculus class
plus much of the material taught during the second semester. An Advanced
Placement Exam may be taken in May. Scores of 3, 4, and 5 are generally
considered as evidence of satisfactory mastery of the material. Different
colleges grant placement or credit based on scores on AP Exams. The
textbook being used in these sections is Calculus (Fifth Edition) by Swokowski. A graphing calculator (but not the TI89) is
required for this course.
A general description of the topics which are studied in this course
includes: a review of precalculus topics (algebra, functions, trigonometry,
logarithms and exponents), limits (definitions and techniques for
determining limits), differential calculus (determining derivatives of
functions of a single variable, determining derivatives of implicitly
defined functions, using derivatives to determine relative extrema of
functions and to draw graphs of functions, using derivatives to solve
optimization problems), integral calculus (calculating the area under graphs
using numerical means such as Riemann sums, trapezoidal rule and Simpson’s
rule, determining indefinite integrals and definite integrals, applying
integration to a host of problems such as problems of determining area under
a curve, area between curves, volumes of solids formed by rotating regions
about lines, using more sophisticated integration techniques to find the
integrals of a variety of expressions).
Summer Review Packet Materials can
be found here with answers.
A helpful article on choosing a computer for college can be found
here and another that features former Whitman students is here and the
most recent one from June 15, 2006 is here.
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