<ol>
<li>How much similar/different is it from Algebra II? & AP Calculus AB? </li>
<li>How much trigonometry is used and how important is it? </li>
<li>How essential and useful is the content learned in Precalculus for AP Calculus AB? </li>
<li>What new topics are learned from Precalculus that are not learned in Algebra II?</li>
</ol>
<p>Compared to trig and algebra, I found precal to be fairly easy. Our precalc was regular calculus, we just stopped at intergration. It was really easy, you just have to know the rules for derivatives, but I had a great teacher so i dont know what you will think about it. Like I said, the biggest new topic you will learn is derivatives, other than that, it’s a breeze. I had a 102% for the year. I dont know about your 3rd question because I have not started taking that class yet, but I can imagine it would use the basic concepts learned in precalc. Trig is used alot, we have to use triangles and stuff along with derivatives to figure out the distance a person should go…ect, it can get pretty complicated but as long as you pay attention it’s easy.</p>
<p>I took PreCalc this year so here’s my opinion.</p>
<ol>
<li>First 4 chapters for us - We zoomed through it - it was a repeat of Algebra II. I vaguely remember doing another couple chapters of things we learned in Algebra II at this point or it might have started right into Trig. As for Calc - you will learn Trig identities, imaginary numbers & polar coordinates, limits, and the basics of derivatives. We also did some series and sequences and combinatorics - not sure how much this stuff is used in AP Calc at the moment. But trig identities, polar coordinates and all that garbage that I am not great at, limits, and derivatives - the basis of Calc.</li>
<li>Trig is essential. It took up pretty much our 2nd and 3rd quarter of school (or maybe it was just 1.5 quarters). But you’ll start with the typical SOHCAHTOA, then head into law of sines/cosines, area formulas, and then get into addition/subtraction of sines/cosines/tangents, double/half angle theorems, identities, etc… The identities are tough and require a good eye and a lot of practice. Everyone struggles with them initially, it seems. It’s not that you use Trig a lot after the Trig sections, but we still continued to need trig knowledge to solve problems using trig expressions in, for instance, the limits section.</li>
<li>It is what it is. It’s precalculus, so you get a good introduction to limits and we did one chapter on derivatives. Don’t forget your Algebra II and Trig because you will need it of course. I’m just saying - I wouldn’t skip PreCalc to go straight to AP Calc because the problems you deal with are a lot tougher than Algebra II.</li>
<li>I specified above - much more in depth into Trig, much more in depth into imaginary numbers and polar coordinates (“cis”, De Moivre’s Theorem, a brand new coordinate system (r, theta), etc…)</li>
</ol>
<p>Ohhh
See, I’m planning on doing Precal over this summer to go to AP Calc AB next year.
The community college classes start in mid-July and end in mid-August. So basically a full month. It’s Monday to Thursday, four hours a day from 7 AM to 10 AM.
I wrote this thread so I could get an idea of Precal. do you think that that might be too overwhelming for me and that I should just do Precal next year or that it’s alright to do AP Calc AB next year?</p>
<p>@Grisam
yeah that’s weird i learned most of those stuff this year too</p>
<p>I agree with SLightManifesto,</p>
<ol>
<li>It is what it is. It’s precalculus, so you get a good introduction to limits and we did one chapter on derivatives. Don’t forget your Algebra II and Trig because you will need it of course. I’m just saying - I wouldn’t skip PreCalc to go straight to AP Calc because the problems you deal with are a lot tougher than Algebra II.</li>
</ol>
<p>Precalculus is needed for a good preparation calculus ab. You can still try but don’t say later on that there weren’t people who warned you…</p>
<p>^ are community college math classes usually good? do you think that if i work <em>really</em> hard during the precal math class this summer that i’ll be all good?</p>
<p><em>btw</em> i’m not skipping Precal lol</p>
<p>Bupmpbubjpmbp</p>
<p>I heard that most community colleges classes during the summer are really easy and you can do anything in the class and get away with it. So they probably will go over just the basics(which you have prob. learned in algebra II already). Idk it depends on how much they actually want to teach you. Plus the beginning of precalc is just review but then towards the middle and end is new stuff.</p>
<p><em>BTW</em> you are skipping precalculuc, just because you are studying it over the summer doesn’t mean you took it during the school year. So you are skipping it and going into ap calculus (but you are reviewing and learning the material in precalculus).</p>
<p>i think that is what we both meant about you skipping it.</p>
<p>at my school precalc was really easy, we basically just used all the skills from algebra 2 which i had in 9th grade so i forgot somestuff since i took trig and geom after. learned alot about asymptotes, rational functions, polynomials, exponentials, logarithmic functions… you don’t really need any trig background and its not a required prerequisite</p>
<p>Precalc really differs from school to school. Watered-down Precalc probably doesn’t include polar/parametric equations or discrete math. A true precalc class should require you to memorize the trig identities and provide a small intro into Calculus.</p>
<p>Our school’s PreCalculus programs sucks. One whole semester is review of Algebra II. The other semester is Trigonometry (Honors include Vectors; regular does not).</p>
<p>There are two teachers. One teacher teaches trig identities, formulas, equation, and basic vectors. The other teaches a bit more, covering orthogonal vectors and polar coordinates.</p>
<p>^That sounds very watered-down. Precalculus Vectors in my opinion are one of the easiest parts of the class.</p>
<p>so i checked the Precal honors textbook in my teacher’s bookshelf</p>
<p>half of it is basically algebra II. the mainly new topics are polar coordinates vs cartesian coordinates and all that jazz. actually, i think i can even self-study it on my own in just a month if i spend 4 to 5 hours a day. i’m starting to feel that it’s no point driving to a community college and sitting there for 4 hours when i can get through it myself and i know for sure i can master it over the summer. however there is the problem with the counselors and the course changing and all that stupid inconvenient stuff…anyone know how to deal with this?</p>
<p>deal with it, talk to the counselors, have *****y parents, etc.</p>
<p>Really, precalculus is Alg 2 extended. I self-taught myself in 9th grade, but won’t take the official course until 11th(Damn IB rules, no skipping courses)</p>
<p>um excuse me…but what parents? o_O</p>
<p>use your parents and have them complain to the guidance counselor. That almost always work. Have them be obnoxious.</p>
<p>oh god haha nah i couldn’t do that. my counselor is the same one that my two previous cousins had/have and i can’t embarrass them lol.</p>
<p>lol do you want to take AB or not? You do what’s necessary. Personally, if I could jump into BC I would. BC = AB + Extra</p>
<p>nah too busy this summer i have SAT boot camp ;-; poor me@@@@</p>
<p>what math are you in in non-IB terms btw? and what are you taking next year?</p>