Question about AOPS sequence for kids who take DE classes

[Porridge]

Cross posting to High school forum...

DD was planning to go to school next year, but is having second thoughts. We're exploring options.

 

She's an AOPS fan-girl and currently taking Intermediate Algebra. She would love to take all the courses in the AOPS catalog.

This was the original math plan if she kept homeschooling: 

Intermediate Algebra (finish spring of 8th grade)

Intermediate C and P (summer before 9th)

Pre-Calculus and Intermediate NT (9th)

Calculus (summer before 10th OR during 10th)

DE for higher level math

(Summer math is her preference, not ours).

 

Is there any value is skipping the Int C&P and Int NT for now and instead moving straight through the "traditional" sequence of Pre-Calc and Calculus?  I'm specifically wondering whether that might help with pre-reqs for any potential dual enrollment science classes she might want to take.  (She would still want to do C&P and NT, and would just do them after PreCal and Calc).  

Would she be missing out on any important skills or concepts if she bumped C&P/NT? Will it make PreCal / Calc more difficult? Are there other potential issues I should consider?

 

Thank you !

Edited February 18, 2022 by WTM

[SoCal_Bear]

Those are pretty helpful if you are in the math contest world. I do think that it is hard to find time to fit these in later. In my mind, I hate losing momentum once I get going on the calculus sequence with college level math courses as I fully expect him to continue onwards beyond calc BC. I'm trying to think about when to do statistics or whether or not to run that parallel in a given year.

We totally do math during the summer as well.

FWIW, he completed Intermediate Algebra and will be do Pre-Calc in the fall. We cover NT and C&P through our math circle, but we are looking at picking up courses over the summers in those topics specifically.

 

Edited February 18, 2022 by calbear

[SDMomof3]

I ask my ds, who has taken all of the listed AoPS classes and he said that he would have preferred to take PreCalc and Calc before Int C&P and Int Number Theory. He also said that he would have preferred to take Number theory last because it was the hardest. 
 

[Mom_to3]

My eldest is finishing up Intermediate Algebra and Intermed C&P. We are considering doing PreCalc next, because we've also heard Intermed Number Theory is tough. Curious what others think!

And, yes, we also do math all year round. 

[SDMomof3]

My ds has said that Intermediate Number Theory is the hardest class. He spent twice as many hours on Intermediate Number Theory than on PreCalc and barely got into the green. He has always been solidly in Blue for all of the other classes. One of the issue is that AoPS doesn’t have a textbook for Int NT class. We ended up getting him Joseph H. Silverman's "A Friendly Introduction to Number Theory" as the textbook when taking AoPS Intermediate Number Theory. 

https://www.math.brown.edu/johsilve/frint.html

[SeaConquest]

Even Quark and Lewelma's math prodigies thought that Intermediate NT was super hard, so that put the fear of G-d in me about that class! And if SDMof3's boy says the same (I know her son too) -- I definitely wouldn't take it before Calculus! 🙂  

[daijobu]

1 hour ago, SeaConquest said:

Even Quark and Lewelma's math prodigies thought that Intermediate NT was super hard, so that put the fear of G-d in me about that class! And if SDMof3's boy says the same (I know her son too) -- I definitely wouldn't take it before Calculus! 🙂  

It is a challenging class, but taking calculus prior won't prepare you for NT.  They are completely different topics.  

[Porridge]

21 hours ago, SDMomof3 said:

I ask my ds, who has taken all of the listed AoPS classes and he said that he would have preferred to take PreCalc and Calc before Int C&P and Int Number Theory. He also said that he would have preferred to take Number theory last because it was the hardest. 
 

INteresting! Thanks for the student-perspective. Any particular reason why he would have preferred PreCalc and Calc before Int C&P? (Sounds like Int NT is super challenging, so it makes sense to push it off a bit.)

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

Thank you so much for this post!!

Given the consensus on Inter NT & the lack of a textbook 🤯 I’m going to rethink DS’ upcoming sequence a bit… 

I’d heard that Intro NT & Intro CP were shorter / easier, so had assumed the same would be true for the Intermediate levels relative to PreCal & Calculus. Clearly I was mistaken. 😅