AP Calculus
Advanced Placement Calculus (also known as AP Calculus, AP Calc AB/BC, or simply AP Calc) is used to indicate one of two distinct Advanced Placement courses and examinations offered by the College Board, AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC.
AP Calculus AB
AP Calculus AB is an Advanced Placement calculus course taken by high school students around the world, most of whom study at schools with an American curriculum. The course is traditionally taken after precalculus and is the first calculus course offered at most schools except for the regular calculus class. The Pre-Advanced Placement pathway for math will help prepare students for further Advanced Placement classes and exams.
Purpose
According to the College Board,
An AP course in calculus consists of a full high school academic year of work that is comparable to calculus courses in colleges and universities. It is expected that students who take an AP course in calculus will seek college credit, college placement, or both, from institutions of higher learning.
The AP Program includes specifications for two calculus courses and the exam for each course. The two courses and the two corresponding exams are designated as Calculus AB and Calculus BC. Calculus AB can be offered as an AP course by any school that can organize a curriculum for students with mathematical ability.[1]
Course content
The material includes the study and application of differentiation and integration, and graphical analysis including limits, asymptotes, and continuity.[2] An AP Calculus AB course is typically equivalent to one semester of college calculus. More specifically, the topics are[3]
- Analysis of graphs (predicting and explaining behavior)
- Limits of functions (one and two sided)
- Asymptotic and unbounded behavior
- Continuity
- Derivatives
- Concept
- At a point
- As a function
- Applications
- Second derivatives
- Integrals
- Interpretations
- Properties
- Applications
- Techniques
- Numerical approximations
- Fundamental theorem of calculus
- Antidifferentation
AP Calculus BC
Purpose
According to the College Board,
Calculus BC is a full-year course in the calculus of functions of a single variable. It includes all topics covered in Calculus AB plus additional topics... Students who take an AP Calculus course should do so with the intention of placing out of a comparable college calculus course.[1]
Course content
AP Calculus BC includes all of the topics covered in AP Calculus AB, as well as convergence tests for series, Taylor and/or Maclaurin series, the use of parametric equations, polar functions, including arc length in polar coordinates, calculating curve length in parametric and function equations, L'Hôpital's rule, integration by parts, improper integrals, Euler's method, differential equations for logistic growth, and using partial fractions to integrate rational functions.[4] Students in AP Calculus BC generally receive two semesters of Advanced Placement in mathematics.
AP Calculus exam
Growth
Between 1990 and 2004, the number of students taking the AP Calculus exams has increased more than threefold.[5] The exams are now taken by more than 250,000 students each year.[6] The College Board intentionally schedules the AP Calculus AB exam at the same time as the AP Calculus BC exam in order to make it impossible for a student to take both tests and receive college credit for both in the same academic year.[7] They do not, however, bar a student from taking the two classes simultaneously; it is usually at the discretion of the individual school to label Calculus AB as a pre-requisite class for Calculus BC. However, the majority of schools only require precalculus as a prerequisite to Calculus BC.
Format
The structures of the AB and BC exams are identical. Both exams are three hours and fifteen minutes long, comprising a total of 45 multiple choice questions and six free response questions.[8] They are further subdivided as follows:
| Multiple-Choice, Section I Part A | Multiple-Choice, Section I Part B | Free-Response, Section II Part A | Free-Response, Section II Part B | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # of Questions | 28 | 17 | 2 | 4 |
| Time Allowed | 55 minutes | 50 minutes | 30 minutes | 60 minutes |
| Calculator Use | No | Yes | Yes | No |
The two parts of the Multiple-Choice section are timed and taken independently; students may work on the Section II Part A during the time for Section II Part B but are NOT allowed to resume using a calculator. The Free-Response section, however, is one hour-and-a-half administration. New to the exam in 2011, the calculator-required free response section contains only 2 questions, while the non-calculator section contains 4 questions. Students are required to put away their calculators after 30 minutes have passed during the Free Response section, and only at that point may begin Section II Part B. However, students may continue to work on Section II Part A during the entire Free Response time, albeit without a calculator during the later half.
Scoring
The multiple-choice section is scored by computer, with a correct answer receiving 1 point, a blank answer receiving 0 points and an incorrect answer costing no points as a new change made by AP Central. This total is multiplied by 1.2 to calculate the adjusted multiple-choice score.[9]
The free-response section is hand-graded by hundreds of educators each June.[10] The raw score is then added to the adjusted multiple choice score to receive a composite score. This total is compared to a composite-score scale for that year's exam and converted into an AP score of 1-5.
Students generally receive this score report by mail in mid-July of the year they took the test.[11] Alternately, they can receive their scores by phone as early as June 27 for a fee of $8 (although the College Board only officially recognizes July 1 as the first available date to receive grades by phone[12]). For the Calculus BC exam, an AB sub-score is included in the score report to reflect their proficiency in the fundamental topics of introductory calculus. The AB sub-score is based on the correct number of answers for questions pertaining to AB-material only.
Grade distributions for AP Calculus AB
The grade distributions for the 2010[13], 2011[14] and 2012 [15]AB scores were:
| Score | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 21.2% | 21.4% | 24.9% |
| 4 | 16.4% | 16.4% | 16.9% |
| 3 | 18.0% | 18.5% | 17.3% |
| 2 | 11.2% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 1 | 33.1% | 33.1% | 30.6% |
| Mean | 2.81 | 2.82 | |
| Number of Students | 245,867 | 255,357 |
Grade distributions for AP Calculus BC
The grade distributions for the 2010[16] and 2011[17] BC scores were:
| Score | 2011 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 47.6% | 49.4% |
| 4 | 15.9% | 15.4% |
| 3 | 16.7% | 18.0% |
| 2 | 5.9% | 5.8% |
| 1 | 13.9% | 11.4% |
| Mean | 3.77 | 3.86 |
| Number of Students | 85,194 | 78,998 |
AB Subscore Distribution
| Score | 2011 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 55.1% | 51.0% |
| 4 | 17.9% | 19.4% |
| 3 | 13.2% | 14.2% |
| 2 | 4.9% | 5.7% |
| 1 | 8.9% | 9.7% |
| Mean | 4.05 | 3.96 |
References
- ^ a b "2006, 2007 AP Calculus Course Description" (PDF). College Board. 2005. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ^ "Topic Outline". Calculus AB. College Board. Archived from the original on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Course Descriptions".
- ^ "Topic Outline". Calculus BC. College Board. Archived from the original on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Chapter 1: Elementary and Secondary Education, Student Coursetaking in Mathematics and Science, Participation in AP Testing". Science and Engineering Indicators 2006. National Science Board. 2006-02-23.
- ^ Robinson, M.; Fadali, M.S.; Malisa, M.; Johnson, W.; Batchman, T. AP mathematics and science courses as a gateway to careers in engineering (PDF).
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Exam Calendars". College Board.
- ^ "The Exam". Calculus AB. College Board. Archived from the original on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "2006, 2007 AP Calculus Course Description" (PDF). College Board. 2005. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ^ "AP: The Grade-Setting Process". College Board. Archived from the original on 18 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Exam Grades". College Board. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "AP Scores - AP Grades & Reporting Services". College Board. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ 2010 Calculus AB score distribution
- ^ http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/2011_Calculus_AB_Score_Dist.pdf 2011 Calculus AB score distribution
- ^ Packer, Trevor. 2012 AP Exam Score Distributions. Total Registration. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
- ^ 2010 Calculus BC score distribution
- ^ 2011 Calculus BC score distribution