AP Calculus BC

1.5 Credits

36 weeks

Courses

Open

Enrollment for the 2023-2024 school year is no longer available. Students may register now for the 2024-2025 school year and will be assigned to a course section after July 1, 2024.

An interactive course framework combines with the exciting online course delivery to make calculus an adventure. For example, students in this course will walk in the footsteps of Newton and Leibnitz. The course includes a study of limits, continuity, differentiation, and integration of algebraic, trigonometric, and transcendental functions; the applications of derivatives and integrals; infinite series; parametric equations; and polar equations.

An Advanced Placement (AP) course in calculus consists of a full high school year of work that is comparable to calculus courses in colleges and universities. It is expected that students who take an AP course in calculus will seek college credit, college placement, or both, from institutions of higher learning.

Most colleges and universities offer a sequence of several courses in calculus, and entering students are placed within this sequence according to the extent of their preparation, as measured by the results of an AP examination or other criteria.

Major Topics and Concepts

Segment 1

Review of Function Terminology and More
Graphing Calculators
Compositions and Transformations of Functions
Some Common Functions
Introduction to Limits
Properties of Limits
Limits Involving Infinity
Continuity
Applications of Limits
The Derivative
Rules of Differentiation
Trigonometric Derivatives and the Chain Rule
Inverse Functions
Exponential and Logarithmic Functions
Derivatives of Exponential, Logarithmic, and Inverse Trig Functions
Implicit Differentiation
Analyzing Functions Part I: Curve Sketching
Analyzing Functions Part II: Maximums and Minimums
Applied Maximum and Minimum Problems
Distance, Velocity, Acceleration, and Rectilinear Motion
Related Rates
The Mean-Value Theorem and L’Hôpital’s Rule
Linearization
Area Approximation and Riemann Sums
Introduction to the Definite Integral
The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
Integrals and Antiderivatives
Integration by Substitution
The Definite Integral
Finding the Area Under and Between Curves
Volume by Discs (Slicing)
Average Value of a Function and Rectilinear Motion Revisited

Segment 2

Differential Equations – An Introduction
Initial Value Problems and Slope Fields
Numerical Approximation Methods with Integrals
Exploring the Graphs off, f Prime, and f Double Prime
Relative Rates of Growth
Using Calculus with Data in a Table
Functions Defined by Integrals
Integration by Parts
Integration Using Partial Fractions
Improper Integrals
Parametric Curves
Polar Curves
Vector Curves
Length of Planar Curves
Area of Planar Curves (Polar Curves only)
Series
Convergence
Tests for Convergence Part I
Tests for Convergence Part II
Error Bound
Maclaurin Series
Taylor Series and Error Bound
Power Series
Radius and Interval of Convergence of Power Series
AP Exam Review and Test Taking Tips and Practice

Course Materials

AP Course & Exam Registration Requirements

College Board requires students to register for AP exams no later than November 13th (individual schools may set earlier deadlines).

All VLACS AP students are required to enroll in the “course only” section in My AP. Instructions for joining My AP will be posted on each VLACS course page and instructors are available to help with this process.

Students who plan to take the corresponding AP exam must arrange to take the exam at a local school that administers it. To register for an AP Exam, the local school will enroll the student in an “exam only” section in My AP. Students should follow these steps:

Search for a local test site through this resource of contact AP Services for Students at 888-225-5427 [email protected]. That office can give you contact information for local AP coordinators who may be willing to test outside students. Students are then responsible for contacting coordinators on that list to see if one can arrange to test for you. You should do this no later than October 2nd. Note that schools may have their own local deadlines for receiving requests from outside students to test at their school so we recommend doing this as soon as possible
The AP coordinator who agrees to assist you must provide a join code for an “exam only” section in My AP. You’ll use the join code to join the section so that the AP coordinator can order your exam.

Please note that, if a school allows a student to register after the 11/13 deadline, there will be a $40 late exam fee. There will also be a $40 canceled/unused exam fee if a student registers and then cancels his/her exam or if the student does not show up on test day.

More information is available on the College Board’s website: https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/

Competencies

Limits and Continuity

Students will demonstrate an understanding of limits and continuity by evaluating functions for continuity and using analytic, graphing and numerical methods to calculate limits of functions.

Fundamental Properties of Differentiation

Students will demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental properties of differentiation by explaining derivatives as rates of change, calculating derivatives using differentiation rules, and estimating derivatives of polynomials, trigonometric, exponential, and logarithmic functions.

Differentiation: Composite, Implicit, and Inverse Functions

Students will demonstrate an understanding of differentiation in composite, implicit, and inverse functions by differentiating composite functions, calculating derivatives of implicit and inverse functions, and calculating higher-order derivatives.

Contextual Applications of Differentiation

Students will demonstrate an understanding of contextual applications of differentiation by interpreting derivatives in motion, analyzing rates and related rates of change, and approximating values of functions using local linearity and linearization.

Applications of Differentiation

Students will demonstrate an understanding of applications of differentiation by calculating first and second derivatives, analyzing graph characteristics using the first and second derivatives, solving optimization problems, and analyzing implicit relations of functions.

Integration and Accumulation of Change

Students will demonstrate an understanding of integration and accumulation of change by explaining how the Fundamental Theorem connects differentiation and integration, calculating integrals using a variety of techniques, and evaluating improper integrals.

Differential Equations

Students will demonstrate an understanding of differential equations by analyzing slope fields, solving differential equations using separation of variables, solving differential equations involving exponential and logistic growth and decay models, and estimating solutions to differential equations using Euler’s Method.

Applications of Integration

Students will demonstrate an understanding of integration applications by solving real-world applications and calculating applications involving area and volume.

Parametric, Polar, and Vector-Valued Equations

Students will demonstrate an understanding of parametric, polar, and vector-valued equations by defining parametric and vector-valued functions to define planar motion, solving motion problems, and calculating area between two polar curves.

Infinite Sequences and Series

Students will demonstrate an understanding of infinite sequences and series by evaluating the convergence and divergence of a series, calculating and estimating the sum of a series, and constructing and using Taylor Polynomials.