IAPC - Introduction to AP Calculus Module Overview

Introduction to AP Calculus Module Overview

Introduction

AP Calculus WordleAP Calculus is a year-long course that is comparable to calculus courses at the college or university level. Your major goals should be to learn calculus and to prepare for the AP Calculus exam. High school mathematics credit and a grade are awarded based on your performance in this course. Your achievement level on the AP Calculus exam determines the credit and placement granted by each college or university in accordance with local higher education policies. In this course, the technological tools required for exploring, learning, and communicating calculus concepts include Microsoft Word with Microsoft Equation (or its equivalent) for typing math assignments, an approved graphing calculator (see a list of acceptable calculators at College Board AP Central) for the AP Calculus exam, and some type of grapher for creating graphs online such as Graphmatica (Windows) or Grapher (MAC) or an online graphing utility of your choice. 
As you begin your journey through AP Calculus, the College Board AP Central website provides valuable information related to course content, exam calendar and fees, and exam scoring resources.   Use the AP Calculus Course Home Page to view the philosophy, goals, prerequisites, required use of graphing calculators, and information about sections of the examination. Specific information regarding the types of approved graphing calculators can be found on the College Board website.  Many students use the Texas Instruments 83Plus/84Plus or Nspire/Nspire CAS calculators, and the module lessons have been written with those series calculators in mind. Whichever graphing calculator you choose to use, the calculator manual and online resources are invaluable tools.
Technology usage is a required and integral component for reinforcing the relationships among the multiple representations of functions, helping solve problems, facilitating experimentation, assisting in interpreting results , confirming written work, and supporting conclusions. In particular, the AP Calculus exam requires the use of a graphing calculator with several calculus-related, built-in capabilities.

Essential Questions

  • How can I get the most out of my AP Calculus course?
  • How will graphing technology be used in this AP Calculus course?
  • How can I use the keyboard and Microsoft Equations (or an Equation editor) to type mathematical symbols?
  • What is calculus and how does it compare with precalculus?    
  • How will I use calculus to model and solve real-life problems?

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