***OFFICIAL AP Calculus BC Thread 2013***

<p>My teacher ran away in the middle of march and is not coming back for the rest of the year. i guess it is just self-studying from here on out for me.</p>

<p>Does anyone have a set of explanation for the MCQ answers in the Collegeboard’s AP Calc BC course description?</p>

<p>I’m stuck because I can’t operate my calculator. Ugh.</p>

<p>How are you guys studying for the next couple of weeks? </p>

<p>Also is the Princeton Calc Review book good for its content and practice tests(mainly multiple choice)?</p>

<p>I took the class last year, didn’t prep for the test and am taking it properly this year. I’m scrambling to finish my multivariate EPGY class and prep for BC. It’s going to be a tough few months. I think I’ll aim for a revision of all the concepts and then just do practice tests. Maybe multi will help me think things through better, LOL :)</p>

<p>@Medical I’m just taking past exams and using the really plain book called “Multiple Choice and Free Response Questions in Preperation for AP Calculus (BC) Examination” (That’a one heck of a name!)</p>

<p>Has anyone used or using the prepbook called Be Prepared for the AP Calculus Exam by Skylight Publishing?</p>

<p>Yes @mansu007, it is a very good review book. My teacher recommended it to me</p>

<p>These are the things you should ABSOLUTELY know going into the test:

  1. Derivatives and anti-derivatives including trig including integration by parts and partial fractions and L’Hopital
  2. Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
  3. Mean Value Theorem & Average Value Theorem
  4. Solids of Revolution (Area of curves and Volume of curves revolved around axis) as well as arc length
  5. Velocity, acceleration and speed vectors. Including finding distance.
  6. Taylor/Maclaurin Series including error bounds
  7. Euler’s Method
  8. Power Series and convergence tests including Ratio Test and interval of convergence
  9. Polar Curves, derivatives and areas</p>

<p>Our class uses the D&S prep book and just does all of the released FRQs. Honestly, these problems are pretty automatic at this point.</p>

<p>I need some help in learning MacLauren/Taylor series! Every time I see the words MacLauren and Taylor I just skip the question because I have no clue what they mean by x-degree Taylor series or Lagrange Error Bound or MacLauren - help! Any online resources where I can learn these before Wednesday?</p>

<p>Since I’ve self-studied and I’m running short on time do I need to learn either of these things that I’ve come across in an outline or two??
~Telescoping Series/Test
~Surface Area of Revolution</p>

<p>I wasn’t quite sure…</p>

<p>P.S. tusing, if you take on power series and just look at them for what they are, they wont be as confusing. Google videos and read some explanations too. you will see that the process of finding them is pretty smooth once you know its formula.</p>

<p>@Hurdle3life
My class covered both of those topics and I’d recommend skimming a review book or watching a YouTube video on “Surface Area of Revolution” and then either memorizing the formulas or saving them in your calculator (only applicable to the calculator sections). The reason I think this topic is more important is because you need to find the surface area for all types of equations and will definitely be on the exam.</p>

<p>As for “Telescoping Series”, I feel like it is an even more minor part of the test (it may not even be included) and it can be derived relative easily from existing knowledge of series. Here’s a video about it: <a href=“Telescoping Series Example - YouTube”>Telescoping Series Example - YouTube;

<p>@Hurdle My teacher told my class that the ap test no longer contains surface area of revolutions I think, so you shouldn’t really care about it.</p>

<p>Like @tusing said, can anyone point out or list some informational and effective sources for Maclaurin series/ Taylor polynomials and power series?</p>

<p>Are binomial expansions of series on there at all? They’re in my 2012 Kaplan book, but I’ve never even heard of them before… they weren’t covered in class.</p>

<p>My teacher didn’t teach us a thing from the BC curriculum. I’m trying my best to teach it to myself, but frankly at this point, my only hope is the AB sub score. </p>

<p>I’m going to UCLA in the fall, and they will only take 5’s. There’s no chance of that for BC, but I feel it’s possible for me to get that on the sub score.</p>

<p>Should I study questions that involve pouring coffee into funnels and you have to find the rate at which the volume increases? And how about hooke’s law problems and work problems? In all of the practice tests we’ve taken I don’t remember seeing them. I hate all of these problems.</p>

<p>Oh, and what about kinematics? I actually quite enjoy these but haven’t seen them in practice.</p>

<p>@myuusmeow don’t give up hope too quickly, because you should keep in mind that the curve for the test is very lenient (around 50%of test-takers get a 5) and only ~60%correct is required to get it</p>

<p>Guys, any final review tips?</p>

<p>IT’S TOMORROW!!!
…And I don’t know how to use Newton’s Method, Simpson’s Rule, or LeGrange’s Error Bound formula.
Help… someone?</p>