AB or BC Calculus?

[OnMyOwn]

How do you decide which to have your student take? Is there a huge difference in the workload?

 

My dd is doing DO precalculus and I'm thinking of having her either do his calculus or PAH's calculus. I'm leaning toward the PAH class since I believe it will more directly prepare her for the exam. TIA!

[daijobu]

Take a look at this thread, toward the end there is a sub-discussion about options for AP calc.  

 

I took AP calc BC back in the dark ages before graphing calculators, and my dd is a stronger math student than I was so I figure she can handle it.  I'm also trying to decide between PAH calculus BC which like you said, is more direct preparation for the exam, but maybe too much busywork for my kid who has been using AoPS for so long.  Alternatively, we might self-study using the AoPS text, and then do some exam prep, since she's already had some experience with AP exams in other subjects.  

 

Another alternative is the JHU CTY course, but I viewed the sample video and didn't think it would be a good fit.  

Edited November 23, 2016 by daijobu

[Julie of KY]

I would assume there is a big difference between the workload of Calc AB and Calc BC - BC covers more material.

 

I've stumbled across the resources that go with the Larson text that PA homeschoolers uses for Calculus. There are worked solutions for all the odd problems in the textbook as well as videos for each section in all the chapters. Some of the videos are great, but I find many to be dull and not so helpful. There are also some online chapter tests on calcchat for the Larson text. (just google Larson calculus videos and calcchat).

 

Between DO and PAH, I think PAH will probably do better test prep - but you can do test prep on your own. I think there are some good test prep books out there and the past years FRQ are online with solutions.

 

I'm personally very torn as to the direction to take boy #2 for calculus. My oldest did PAH Calc BC and scored a 5. I'm leaning toward having my second son do DO calculus and then teaching the BC portion myself.  The biggest thing I can't do is the calculator work, but I'm sure I can learn - I know I can do the rest.

[Mike in SA]

It's generally a difference in speed, not workload.  That means there will be less repetition in BC if it is needed.

 

[8filltheheart]

What are their career goals?  Cal 2 (BC) is not required for a lot of fields.  Cal 1 is the basic cal required for many fields.  I have 2 kids who have taken cal 2+, but the rest so far have not needed math at that level.  My current sr, a very strong math student, stopped at cal 1 b/c that is the highest cal she will need.

Edited November 23, 2016 by 8FillTheHeart

[Arcadia]

How do you decide which to have your student take? Is there a huge difference in the workload?

My oldest is doing calculus this year. He'll do one or two diagnostic tests from test prep books (Princeton, Barron's 2017 edition from library) in end February and then we decide which one since the private center that proctors appreciate confirmation by early March. Mine has engineering as his shortlist so he will eventually take the Calc BC exam or take Calc AB exam and then DE for subsequent calculus class. There are minor changes to the AP calculus exams for 2017 so go for the latest prep books in your local library.

 

Workload wise from collegeboard http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/220300.html

"What is the difference between AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC?

 

AP Calculus BC is an extension of AP Calculus AB: the difference between them is 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 a semester of calculus at most colleges and universities. AP Calculus BC includes all topics in AP Calculus AB, plus others such as parametric, polar, and vector functions, and series. It is equivalent to one year of calculus at most colleges and universities."

 

and https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/ap/ap-calculus-ab-and-bc-course-and-exam-description.pdf

"Calculus AB Subscore for the Calculus BC Exam

 

Common topics are assessed at the same conceptual level on both of the AP Calculus Exams. Students who take the AP Calculus BC Exam receive an AP Calculus AB subscore based on their performance on the portion of the exam devoted to Calculus AB topics (approximately 60 percent of the exam). The Calculus AB subscore is designed to give students as well as colleges and universities feedback on how the student performed on the AP Calculus AB topics on the AP Calculus BC Exam."

[OnMyOwn]

What are their career goals? Cal 2 (BC) is not required for a lot of fields. Cal 1 is the basic cal required for many fields. I have 2 kids who have taken cal 2+, but the rest so far have not needed math at that level. My current sr, a very strong math student, stopped at cal 1 b/c that is the highest cal she will need.

Oh gosh, if she knew what she wanted to do for a career, that would make everything so much easier. She really doesn't, though. I think she loves languages and lit and writing more than math, but she does really like math, too. I told her today what you said about calculus 1 being the last math she might need for a lot of careers and she said she wouldn't want to be done with math next year, so that at least helps me to see that she likes it enough that she won't be ending with calculus.

Edited November 24, 2016 by OnMyOwn

[OnMyOwn]

Thanks to all who replied. Honestly, I still have no idea which path to take with her. I'm considering having her do DO's calculus next year and not even bothering with the AB AP exam since she should be hiting AP Latin and Spanish (if all goes as planned) next year and that would give us some flexibility. Then, she could possibly take BC calc over the following fall semester with PAHS?

 

I was searching the board for old posts on this topic and someone had posted how beneficial it can be to do AB one year and then BC the next. She was saying that doing that really helped students to solidify the material. My dd did Saxon algebra II and knew how to do the calculations and did well in the tests, but I could see she didn't understand why she was doing the calculations or what they represented. So, we went through DO algebra II this summer and his more conceptual approach really benefitted her and solidified her knowledge. Now, we're going through his precalculus and there is a ton of overlap with algebra II, but I can see that hitting that information one more time is really bringing it home to her and has increased her confidence and mastery of the material. So, I wonder if more than one time through calculus might benefit her as well?

[Mike in SA]

More than one time through can definitely help. Calculus done right - not short changed on theory (as AP is wont to do) - takes time to get comfortable with.

 

In a rigorous college sequence, the first and third semesters are the toughest. Unfortunately, calculus AB is not particularly rigorous, so it doesn't fully replace a typical first semester course. Close enough, perhaps.

 

For repetition, I recommend doing a first pass at high speed focusing on the theory, and how all the concepts fit together. Then, BC would be a logical second pass, being heavier on technique.

[Julie of KY]

By the way, for the PA homeschoolers AP Calc BC class, it starts at the beginning and does all of calculus rather than picking up at the end of calc 1. Many of the students in the class have previously taken calculus and therefore the beginning of the class is review and more struggle after Christmas with a lot of new material.