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AP Calculus AB

AP Calculus AB is a college-level course that covers topics in differential and calculus. Students will to apply calculus concepts to real-world problems and develop their problem-solving skills. The course description a detailed outline of the topics covered, as well as information on the AP exam and scoring.

Tentative schedule: 32 classes: 16 Prof Lectures+ 16 TA sessions, 2 Free mock exams

Source

Unit 1: Limits & Continuity

  • How limits help us to handle change at an instant

  • Definition and properties of limits in various representations

  • Definitions of continuity of a function at a point and over a domain

  • Asymptotes and limits at infinity

  • Reasoning using the Squeeze theorem and the Intermediate Value Theorem

Unit 2: Differentiation: Fundamentals

  • Defining the derivative of a function at a point and as a function

  • Connecting differentiability and continuity

  • Determining derivatives for elementary functions

  • Applying differentiation rules

 

Unit 3: Differentiation: Composite, Implicit, and Inverse Functions

  • The chain rule for differentiating composite functions

  • Implicit differentiation

  • Differentiation of general and particular inverse functions

  • Determining higher-order derivatives of functions

Unit 4: Contextual Applications of Differentiation

  • Identifying relevant mathematical information in verbal representations of real-world problems involving rates of change

  • Applying understandings of differentiation to problems involving motion

  • Generalizing understandings of motion problems to other situations involving rates of change

  • Solving related rates problems

  • Local linearity and approximation

  • L’Hospital’s rule

Unit 5: Analytical Applications of Differentiation

  • Mean Value Theorem and Extreme Value Theorem

  • Derivatives and properties of functions

  • How to use the first derivative test, second derivative test, and candidates test

  • Sketching graphs of functions and their derivatives

  • How to solve optimization problems

  • Behaviors of Implicit relations

Unit 6: Integration and Accumulation of Change

  • Using definite integrals to determine accumulated change over an interval

  • Approximating integrals using Riemann Sums

  • Accumulation functions, the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, and definite integrals

  • Antiderivatives and indefinite integrals

  • Properties of integrals and integration techniques

Unit 7: Differential Equations

  • Interpreting verbal descriptions of change as separable differential equations

  • Sketching slope fields and families of solution curves

  • Solving separable differential equations to find general and particular solutions

  • Deriving and applying a model for exponential growth and decay

Unit 8: Applications of Integration

  • Determining the average value of a function using definite integrals

  • Modeling particle motion

  • Solving accumulation problems

  • Finding the area between curves

  • Determining volume with cross-sections, the disc method, and the washer method

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