Welcome
to the HappyCal Zone
(Honors
AP Calculus BC, Period B)
Are
you nervous when you see NCWEE? concerned when you see CIRC? perturbed when you
see PBC? Visit Mr. Hansen’s fabled abbreviations
page to make sense of those cryptic markings you see on your papers.
Schedule at a Glance (see archives
for older entries) |
|
|
Th
1/23/14 |
Classes resume. |
|
F 1/24/14 |
No additional HW due. (Form
V had a required event at school on Thursday night.) |
|
M 1/27/14 |
Mozart’s birthday: No
additional HW due. |
|
T 1/28/14 |
No additional HW. (No
special occasion.) |
|
W 1/29/14 |
HW due: Read §9-4; write
§9-3 #3-48 mo3. |
|
Th
1/30/14 |
HW due: Read §9-5 and memorize
(if you have not already done so) the identities at the bottom of p. 452. |
|
F 1/31/14 |
HW due: Read §9-6. |
|
M 2/3/14 |
HW due (although it will not
be collected until Tuesday): |
|
T 2/4/14 |
HW due: Read §9-7 and this
tutorial on partial fractions; write problems 1-5 all and 7-15 odd from
the online tutorial. (Note that solutions are provided. However, you should
try to solve the problems on your own before checking the solutions.) |
|
W 2/5/14 |
HW due (everyone): Prove
that the solution (y) of the diffeq. |
|
Th
2/6/14 |
HW due: Read §9-9; write
§9-8 #1-6 all, plus your choice of #8 or #10. |
|
F 2/7/14 |
HW due: Read §9-10 and the
preamble to #23 and #24 on p. 479; write §9-9 #6, 14, 18, 25, and explain
(briefly) why #23 and #24 were not assigned except for the reading of the
preamble. |
|
M 2/10/14 |
HW due: Prepare §9-11
#1-100 for oral presentation. If the problem is easily done by inspection
with no work (e.g., #51), be prepared to give the answer. If the problem is
harder (e.g., #29), be prepared to state what technique(s) could be used to
solve the problem. For example, #29 can be done in a multitude of ways, and
you should be prepared to state all of them: |
|
T 2/11/14 |
HW due: Read §9-10 and
§10-2; write §9-10 #1-19 all (keeping the word “lim”
in your work until almost the end each time), and read #24. |
|
W 2/12/14 |
HW due: Read §10-3; write
§10-2 #5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, §10-3 #1, 3, 11, 13. |
|
Th
2/13/14 |
HW due: Review problems as
listed below. You will probably not finish all of these by today (Thursday).
Keep a time log in case you do not finish. However, if school is canceled, all of these will be collected
Tuesday, 2/18, before you take your test. |
|
F 2/14/14 |
No school (teacher
professional day). |
|
M 2/17/14 |
No school (holiday). |
|
T 2/18/14 |
Test (100 pts.) over all of Chapter 9, §10-2, and
§10-3. This is the coverage that
was previously announced in class. As usual, there is a 4-point bonus for
perfect attendance. For the more advanced types of trigonometric
substitutions and partial fraction decompositions, you are required to identify the required method but not
actually work the problems. Partial fraction decompositions that you are
required to complete on the test will be limited, as on the AP exam, to
non-repeated linear factors only. |
|
W 2/19/14 |
No additional written HW
due. |
|
Th
2/20/14 |
HW due: |
|
F 2/21/14 |
HW due: Read §10-7; write
§10-5 #1, 2, 6, 7, §10-6 #6, 11. |
|
M 2/24/14 |
HW due: Read §10-7 again; write
§10-6 #12, §10-7 #1 (make a sketch in your HW paper if you don’t have access
to a photocopier), and the proof below. Remember to use double bars (not
single bars) for vector norms, and put an arrow over any letter used to
represent a vector (since you can’t conveniently write in boldface). |
|
T 2/25/14 |
HW due: |
|
W 2/26/14 |
HW due: |
|
Th
2/27/14 |
HW due: |
|
F 2/28/14 |
HW due: |
|
M 3/3/14 |
Snow day. |
|
T 3/4/14 |
HW due: Read §12-1, §12-2,
and #8d on p. 606; write §12-1 #1-7 all, §12-2 #8abc. |
|
W 3/5/14 |
NORMAL CLASS PERIOD. The study hall originally scheduled for today has
been canceled. |
|
Th
3/6/14 |
HW due: Read §12-3; write
§12-2 #2, §12-3 #1-11 all. |
|
F 3/7/14 |
HW due: |
|
M 3/10/14 |
HW due: Get some good
sleep! Enjoy the beautiful weekend weather! |
|
T 3/11/14 |
HW due: Write §12-5 #1-8
all, 9-24 mo3, 26, 29, 30. |
|
W 3/12/14 |
HW due: Read §12-6; write
§12-6 #1-13 all, 21-24 all. |
|
Th 3/13/14 |
HW due: Finish the
assignment due yesterday, and read this reference
about the LCT. |
|
F 3/14/14 |
Pi Day! |
|
M 3/17/14 |
Snow day (no school). Happy
St. Patrick’s Day! |
|
T 3/18/14 |
HW due: Read §12-8. This is
difficult material, and it is recommended that you read it at least twice.
Reading notes are required, as always. This is your final reading assignment
for the year. |
|
W 3/19/14 |
Big Quiz on
all recent material. Sample questions are below. |
|
|
Spring break.
Your quarter grade will be e-mailed to you by approximately March 31 or April
1. |
|
M 3/31/14 |
HW due: Crack the binding
on your AP review book, and start reviewing. Set a goal of 10 minutes per day
during the break. Daily exposure is more important than massive exposure. |
|
T 4/1/14 |
HW due: Bring in a written
log of your AP review (35 minutes or more). Check your answers, and mark
corrections in a different color of ink. Allow 2 minutes for each
multiple-choice problem without calculator, 3 minutes for each
multiple-choice problem with calculator, and 15 minutes for each multi-part
free-response problem. Free-response problems can be found at the College
Board website. In 35 minutes, you should be able to complete a dozen or
more problems. |
|
W 4/2/14 |
HW due: |
|
Th
4/3/14 |
HW due: Download the AP
review log and start logging your nightly AP review by subject/topic
area. |
|
F 4/4/14 |
HW due: In addition to your
AP review, make sure to do #2a from the W 4/2/14 calendar entry. This was
announced during class. |
|
M 4/7/14 |
HW due: AP review. |
|
T 4/8/14 |
HW due: AP review. |
|
W 4/9/14 |
HW due: AP review. |
|
Th
4/10/14 |
HW due: AP review. Another
quiz is extremely likely. |
|
F 4/11/14 |
HW due: AP review. |
|
M 4/14/14 |
HW due: AP review, plus at least
one “vexing question” (see below). |
|
T 4/15/14 |
Test (100 pts.) on Vectors (§10-7), Chapter 11, and
Chapter 12. |
|
W 4/16/14 |
HW due: AP log, as always.
Form VI students have Alumni Day activities today and must get scanned tomorrow,
before class. |
|
Th
4/17/14 |
HW due: AP log. Form VI
students should arrive on time to
get scanned for yesterday as well. All others may arrive at 9:00 a.m. |
|
F 4/18/14 |
HW due: AP log, as always. |
|
M 4/21/14 |
HW due: AP log, as always. |
|
T 4/22/14 |
HW due: AP log, as always. |
|
W 4/23/14 |
HW due: AP log, as always. |
|
Th
4/24/14 |
HW due: AP log, as always. |
|
F 4/25/14 |
TBD. |
|
M 4/28/14 |
Practice AP Exam (70 points). |
|
T 4/29/14 |
Practice AP Exam (70 points). |
|
W 4/30/14 |
Practice AP Exam (70 points). |
|
Th
5/1/14 |
HW due: AP review, as
always. |
|
F 5/2/14 |
HW due: AP review, as
always. |
|
W 5/7/14 |
HW due: Sleep! If you spend
time reviewing the cram sheet,
be sure to document that on your log sheet. However, sleep is even more
important. Time spent on the cram sheet is fully creditable toward your HW
log. |
|
Th
5/8/14 |
No additional HW due.
However, your log sheets will be checked one last time. |
|
F 5/9/14 |
HW due: Practice Excel. Be prepared
to hit the ground running when we start today. Familiarity with SHIFT + arrow
keys, CTRL + arrow keys, and SHIFT + CTRL + arrow keys is assumed and will
not be retaught. Practice on your own, or ask a
classmate for help. |
|
M 5/12/14 |
HW due: Practice your Excelcise (see 10/28/2010 calendar entry here). Eventually, you have to be able to
perform all the listed steps within 5 minutes. The record time, set by Jared
Heath in 2013, is about 2 minutes. |
|
T 5/13/14 |
HW due: Continue
practicing. |
|
W 5/14/14 |
No additional HW due,
except to keep practicing if you have not yet passed the Excelcise
ordeal. |
|
Th
5/15/14 |
In class: Simulation. |
|
F 5/16/14 |
Quiz on recent class
discussions. |
|
M 5/19/14 |
Another quiz. Please note,
five (5) students still need to pass the Excelcise.
You may come in during F period or after school. |
|
T 5/20/14 |
Another quiz is possible.
Please note, Devoe, Matthew, Nick, Andrew, and Yi still need to pass the
Excelcise. You may come in during F period or after school. |
|
W 5/21/14 |
Field Trip to the NSA/National Cryptologic
Museum. Coat and tie are not
required (per yesterday’s lunch announcement by Headmaster Wilson), but
please wear a shirt with a collar.
We are ambassadors of STA and want to represent the school well. Bus departs at
8:00 a.m. from the service road near the Martin Gym. We will be back on
campus by 1:15 p.m., in time for lunch. |
|
Th
5/22/14 |
Probability simulations. |
|
F 5/23/14 |
Statistical simulations
(simulation of sampling distribution of a statistic). Last day of class. |
|
F 5/30/14 |
Final Exam, 8:00–10:00 a.m., SB-201/202. You will be given a blank blue book and 120 minutes
to fill it. Your question is, “Using your own words, tell the story of the
calculus as you have organized it in your own mind. Tie together the
important themes of the course, showing how you made sense of them. Diagrams
and illustrative examples are welcome.” |
|
Essential Links:
-- STA School Handbook
-- College
Board: AP Calculus BC Course Description
-- Eric Weisstein’s World of Mathematics, the Web’s most
extensive mathematics resource (no kidding!)
-- WolframAlpha.com, a site that I
possibly shouldn’t tell you about . . .
Extra Help:
-- Karl’s Calculus Tutor for
first-year students
-- Calc101.com, another site I might not want
to tell you about (click it and you’ll see why)
-- Temple University: Calculus on the
Web (COW)
Links Based on Class Discussions:
-- Troy’s
Integral Approximation Thingy: a neat JavaScript application for Midpoint
Rule, Trapezoid Rule, Simpson’s Rule, etc.
-- The “RiemannSums Applet” found by John S. (actually shows
you the rectangles or trapezoids)
-- Chris and Andrew’s proof that
Simpson’s Rule is a weighted average of the Midpoint and Trapezoid Rules
-- Braxton’s direct proof of FTC2
-- Proof that FTC1 implies FTC2 and
conversely
-- Related rates tutorial and practice
problems
-- Partial
fraction decomposition tutorial with sample problems and solutions,
courtesy of the University of California at Davis
Links for AP Preparation:
-- Real
sample AP questions from the College Board
-- A huge
collection of AP multiple-choice questions
-- AB Calculus Cram Sheet
-- BC Calculus Cram Sheet
(courtesy of Will Felder and Mr. Hansen)
-- “Stuff
you MUST know cold” (link to another AP calculus teacher’s site; requires
Adobe Acrobat reader)
-- Review question logsheet
(requires Microsoft Excel); also available are old versions for 2003, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012.
-- Permitted features for
graphing calculators on the AP examination
-- Actual
college tests from Mr. Hansen’s alma mater (great practice!) Note:
MATH 121 is the calculus course I took back in the (ulp!)
1970s.
-- Multiple choice practice #1 with answer key
-- Multiple choice practice #2 with answer key
-- First semester recap
(recycled from my 2006-07 IntroCal class, for which
this handout served as a full-year recap)
Fun Links:
-- Homemade “Segway”-like balancing scooter uses a fair amount of calculus!
-- Mathematicians
as depicted in the movies (Good Will Hunting, etc.)
-- An Algebra II problem that
has a calculus flavor to it. (This is problem #26 from §11-7 of Foerster’s Algebra and Trigonometry: Functions and
Applications.) The problem is to determine which sweepstakes prize is
better: a $20,000 lump sum or $100 a month for life. Assume 4% annual interest
compounded monthly. In part (d), the challenge is to determine how the answer
changes if the interest rate changes to 7%.
-- The Mt. Sinai problem and two
variations
-- The astonishing Bailey-Borwein-Plouffe algorithm for
calculating pi to any desired decimal place
-- Sound wave analysis
(harmonics, Doppler shift, etc.), excellent site developed by students at
TJHSST in Virginia
-- Good problems
(some calculus, some not)
-- More fun links on Mr. Hansen’s home page
Serious Links:
-- Summer
math camps for talented high school students
-- Click here for other serious links