Hey interesteddad...math at Swat?

<p>I am not a "math person" but like math and understand that I need to take some math courses to fulfill my distribution requirement. I am taking AP Calc AB this year, and I'm pretty sure I'm not going to get a 5, but I could concievably get a 4 on a good day. That would mean I would pass out of math 005 and get one credit. To continue in the calculus sequence, what math course would I take next? Math 005A? This is probably a dumb question but I have read the course catalogue and don't quite understand how the Math 005A/005B thing works. Thanks a lot!</p>

<p>Warning: I can describe the math sequence for THIS year, but I see that the Math department is renumbering the courses and changing the sequence for next year. So what follows may only be useful in trying to go from here (this year) to there (figuring out next year).</p>

<p>Basically, the full calculus track consists of two semesters at Swarthmore:</p>

<p>Math 005: a full semester basic intro calculus course</p>

<p>Math 006A/006B: these two half-semester courses cover the advanced topics in calculus.</p>

<p>So, if you had no high school caculus, you would take 005 in the fall semester and 006A/006B in the spring semester.</p>

<p>Here's where it gets tricky:</p>

<p>If you get a 4 on the AP Calc AB test, you get placement credit for Math 005. So you would start with the 006A/006B combo in the fall semester.</p>

<p>If you get a 5 on the AP Calc BC test, you get placement credit for the whole shebang (005/006A/006B), so you would skip that entire year and start your math typically with 016 Linear Algebra.</p>

<p>If you get a 5 on the AP Calc AB test, you get placement credit for 005 and 006A. So fall semester of freshman year, you would start wtih 006B (power series). But, there is a catch. 006B is only a half semester course. So there are two "special" half semester courses for kids that start with 006B. </p>

<p>The first option is 006C, which is intended for students who don't plan to continue on with math. It provides a half-semester extenstion of advanced calc and a little introduction to linear algebra. You wouldn't take this if your were planning to take 016 Linear Algebra later. The second option is 006D. This is a half semester of work in an advanced calc topic of the professor's choice.</p>

<p>So, for example, my daughter placed out of 005 and 006A. She took 006B and 006D first semester. She plans to continue a math track a bit further, so she will take 016 Linear Algebra next and I forget what else. She's looking at math more from an applied standpoint (statistical analysis) rather than the upper level theoretic stuff that math majors get into.</p>

<p>So, to recap: the first two semesters are 005 (full semester), 006A (half semester), 006B (half semester).</p>

<p>You can jump in at any point in that sequence. If you jump in at 006B, there are special half-semester courses to fill in the rest of the semester.</p>

<p>I have no idea what the renumbering looks like. I'm probably too old to figure it out. </p>

<p>I would also suggest that college level math (including at Swarthmore) can be difficult. If you are queasy about it, there would be no shame in looking at some of the non-math major math options. I think D would say that the 006B/006D is the hardest course she's taken so far at Swat. It surprised her a bit because math had always been a piece of cake.</p>

<p>I like math, I'm just not so good at it. I have a B+ average in calc AB working pretty hard. Perhaps I will try stat. Or take the calc 005A/005B sequence during pass/fail semester.</p>

<p>You don't have to take any Math sequence, unless you need it for your major. There are math classes, such as Math 9, that are challenging, but fun, and more "useful" for a non-math person. Statistics are also considered a math class for the requirement purpose, and there are several "entry" level statistic courses you can chose from, depending on your math bkgd.</p>