Difference between Calc AB & BC, High school |
 Aug 30 2007, 11:20 AM
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#1
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 Senior Member  Group: Official Designer Posts: 4,591 Joined: Dec 2004 Member No: 77,305  |
In my situation I skipped Pre-calculus because I took the course at Harvard.
Now that I'm a Junior, I've been allowed into AP Calculus AB, but I was wondering what the differences between AB and BC were. I didn't learn everything about PCALC at Harvard (I didn't learn ellipses, sum and differences, graphing polar coordinates, and etc.) Would it be okay for me to enter BC? |
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| *Alysia* |
Aug 30 2007, 01:06 PM
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#2
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If I were you, I would stay in AB (but the BC course at my high school was also one of the most rigorous ones). The content in AB is generally a repeat of precalc, just in slightly more detail, if I remember correctly. The Wiki entry details both course contents, and if that's not enough, you can scroll down to the external links and check out the CollegeBoard pages on the AB and BC content.
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| *Michelle* |
Aug 30 2007, 06:32 PM
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#3
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Basically, BC is more difficult than AB. For the BC course, you get two credits from the AP rather than one (as you would with AB). You move faster in the BC class, and you cover more topics.
Depending on how you did in Pre-Cal, that should help you make your decision. |
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Aug 31 2007, 12:56 AM
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#4
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 hi. call me linda. Group: Official Member Posts: 8,187 Joined: Feb 2004 Member No: 3,475 |
BC is more difficult. You learn more material, and the topics are covered in more depth.
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Sep 1 2007, 03:46 PM
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#5
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muhfucka yo mama's a bitch Group: Banned Posts: 1,461 Joined: Feb 2007 Member No: 506,674 |
Stfu, Take BC or else.
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Sep 1 2007, 10:46 PM
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#6
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 Home is where your rump rests! Group: Staff Alumni Posts: 4,235 Joined: Aug 2006 Member No: 451,969 |
I did the same thing, going from Pre-Calc to BC, and let me tell you now: it was a total and complete biatch. So serious. Did I pass? By some sort of miracle, yeah, and so did my friends who didn't need the miracle and worked really, really hard. You will reap what you sow. Math is usually a test of ability instead of effort, but work hardddd and it will pay off.
As far as the difference, BC covers AB plus some. The AP test will have three of the same exact free response questions from the AB test. If you can learn quickly, then it'll be okay. You definitely need polar coordinates, but mostly you're going to be dealing with serieses and...well, more. I don't have the syllabus with me at the moment, but once I get a hold of it, I'll return to this thread. 
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