AP Calculus AB, Semester A

Course Description

 AP® Calculus AB A is the first semester in a two-semester series. This course focuses on limits, continuity, derivatives and their applications. It extends the knowledge from Precalculus and requires use of Algebra concepts. In AP® Calculus AB A, you will embark on an exhilarating journey where limits are pushed and derivatives lead to infinite possibilities. As part of this course, students are expected to unravel complex problems by watching explanation videos, taking notes on key concepts, solving practice problems, and by analyzing and correcting errors. This course follows the curriculum expectations set by the College Board and presents information in a manner to prepare students for the Advanced Placement® Exam for college credit.

About AP® Courses 

Advanced Placement (AP®) courses are equivalent to college-level courses. We highly recommend that you review the College Board’s AP Calculus AB Course Information page before beginning this course. Students are required to take the UTHS final exam for each semester course to earn high school credit. Students wanting to earn college credit may take the AP® exam offered by the College Board after completing the semester B course; however, it is not required to receive credit for the course from UT High School.

Semester Topics

• Unit 1: Limits and Derivatives
• Unit 2: Derivatives and Function Analysis

Course Objectives

Upon completing this course, you will be able to—

• apply the 3-part definition of continuity to explain whether a function is continuous or not; 
• evaluate limits algebraically and by other methods; 
• use tangent line equations to find linear approximations; 
• find derivatives for implicitly defined functions;  
• determine the derivative at a point using graphs, functions and tables; 
• determine concavity using the second derivative; and 
• use differential equations to generate slope fields and describe possible solution curves. 

Required Course Materials

Please visit the Computer Requirements page to view minimum device, internet, and application requirements for all UT High School courses. Generally, a desktop or laptop device five (5) years or newer with access to an office suite, such as Microsoft Office or Google Workspace, will be adequate to participate in most UTHS courses. 

Unless otherwise noted, students are responsible for purchasing or securing all the following course materials:

• Textbook (Free Resource):  Calculus by Gilbert Strang, Edwin “Jed” Herman 
• Interactive Notebook: A paper or digital composition book is acceptable. For paper composition books, please also have the following items on hand:  
  • Pens or Pencils  
  • Tape or Glue 
• Graphing Calculator: A TI-84 is recommended for all UTHS math courses. Please review the UTHS Graphing Calculator Policy before purchasing a device.

Course Organization

Students must complete the course in sequence: You will not be able to access the next unit until all work in the preceding unit is completed. You may take your final exam only after completing all units and submitting all graded assignments.  

• Units: Each unit includes multiple lessons and graded assignments as well as ungraded practice quizzes to help you check your understanding of the material.
  
  
• Summative Assessments: Each course includes two online, virtually proctored summative assessments testing your understanding of the material presented in the preceding 2-3 Units.
  • Format: Online, Multiple-choice
  • Time Allowed: 1 hr 30 min
    
    
• Final Exam: Each course includes an online, virtually proctored final exam testing your knowledge of all material presented in the course.
  • Format: Online, Multiple-choice
  • Time Allowed: 3 hrs 20 min

Course Grade Weighting

Your final course grade is calculated by weighting the three assignment groups displayed in the table below:

Online Proctored Exams

All course exams, including both summative assessments and the final exam, must be completed online. Students must test online with Proctorio and are required to add the Proctorio extension to either their Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome browser—installation instructions are provided in the student's course. Proctorio uses a student's computer, web camera, and microphone to record video of both the student and their desktop during the exam. Then, UTHS instructors review the student's exam video data collected by Proctorio. Only authorized UTHS staff and instructors can view the exam recordings. Student data is not shared with any persons or organizations outside of UTHS and are deleted after one year. We encourage you to visit Proctorio's Data Security and Privacy site pages to learn more about how we protect student date.