I’m planning to take PreCalc H and then go straight to BC my junior year. What do I need to do to be prepared for this jump? Should I learn AB as I take PreCalc? Thanks!!!
BC relies on AB, of course. The fundamental topics of Calculus aren’t taught in PreCalc, like derivatives and integrals. I’d suggest learning the material before taking BC. There are videos on Youtube or prep books to use. I’m not sure if learning AB material while learning PreCalc will confusing though.
^^?!??!! @pastelblue
Calc BC includes all the topics in Calc AB so technically you don’t have to do anything. My kid didn’t do anything in between these two classes. You can use Khanacademy.com to review precalc topics, or you can preview Calc topics.
From the College Board:
What is the difference between AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC?
The difference between AP Calculus AB and BC is one of scope, not level of difficulty. AP Calculus AB includes techniques and applications of the derivative, the definite integral, and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. It is equivalent to at least a semester of calculus at most colleges and universities.
AP Calculus BC includes all topics in AP Calculus AB, as well as additional topics, such as differential and integral calculus (including parametric, polar, and vector functions) and series. It is equivalent to at least one year of calculus at most colleges and universities. AP Calculus BC is an extension of AP Calculus AB, and each course is challenging and demanding and requires a similar depth of understanding of topics.
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/220396.html
A = PreCalculus (review)
B = Calculus 1
C = Calculus 2 (A few chapters)
As you can see, AB covers Calc 1, and BC covers Calc 1 & 2. Some schools make BC only cover Calc 2 but the AP Calc BC test expects you have learnt 1 and 2. Depending on how your school covers it it can range from ok to terrible. You might have to check with you school or move down to AB if need be.
An old joke at my school between the teacher is that the only thing Calc AB and BC have in common is the B!
PreCalculus has no set curriculum. I was taught limits, derivatives and a hint of integrals in my class after we covered all the precalculus stuff (including trig). It depends on what your school set to cover.
This is totally dependent upon how the HS designs the class. There are many permutations in the way Calc BC is taught. If Calc BC is taught with roughly half the time devoted to AB topics and half to BC topics, then I agree, nothing special needs to be done to prepare. However, for schools that offer Calc AB as a year-long course and Calc BC as the next course in the math sequence, jumping from pre-calc to Calc BC without preparation is a recipe for disaster.
What is the prerequisite for AP Calculus BC at your school?
Well, my PreCalc is the honors version of the class and covers all of precalc in the first semester and topics from calc 1 in the next semester. This gives me the option to take BC the year after.
From what I understand via your posts, you are learning AB during precalculus. You should be fine.