Re: AP Calculus
 

I was wondering if there were any other SUPERSLACK seniors out there that took Calculus 1 and 2 this year but didnt take the AP? I can exempt and receieve credit for the class at the college I will be attending with a letter from my current teacher so thats what I plan on doing. I'm in multiple AP classes but decided to be really slack and take no AP's as I have tuition paid by the state for four years. One word of warning to soon to be seniors: dont be slack, especially before build season even starts....it will catch up with you.
-Aaron

Re: AP Calculus
 

The bottom line is...
AP SUCKS!!!
It is the most insane test on earth and it is unfair.
It is given, by the way, by the same organization that brought you SATs and GREs

Anyways, in response to your question, I didn't solve #5, but i did solve #6.

of course, P(x) is the Taylor Series for that function. Since it said Taylor centered at x=0, you just use the MacLaurin series, which you usually memorize.
(b) since the maclaurin series is only for odd powers of x, the even terms of x are 0
(c) I don't know what the *************** a LaGrange series is, besides a street in West Lafayette
(d)You write three terms, and integrate them (or just integrate the sum using the sums). Remember, it is still the maclaurin series.

Dr. Joe's AP advice...
 

In my opinion, you should take every AP class your school offers, but then you should NOT actually test out of any of your college classes.

I am serious. There is no percentage in testing out of anything as far as I can see. The only slight benefit you get is that you have a slightly higher chance of finishing your B.S. in engineering in 4 years, but even that is not really that much of an edge to be worth doing.

Basically, for me it boils down to this: High grades are like money in your pocket. It is sad, but it is true. We can argue with whether it is right or wrong or whether the world wouldn't be better off some other way, but from my experience, undergrad GPA matters a lot.

I cannot tell you how many of my friends tested out of classes only to be put in a class of sophomores & juniors where they got their clocks cleaned. It is hard enough being away from home (probably for the first time in your life), trying to figure out if you've been good all your life because it was a core value or just because mom and dad would have killed you if they found out that you spent the night in a semi-naked, semi-conscious state, having semi-safe sex with that hottie over there behind the bar ;-) Competing with upper classmen who have figured out which teachers to avoid, where the bookstore is, and how to study when they need to while you are working on your core values is just plain bad for business (GPA-wise).


Give your GPA some cushion to absorb some blows while you figure out which way is up and what you are all about: Don't test out of anything if you have a choice.

Joe J.

P.S. FYI, I have an M.S., a PH.D., I am a licensed Professional Engineer, I am a member of Delphi's Inventor's Hall of Fame (I am going to be raised to the Bronze level tomorrow), I have 15 U.S. Patents with my name on it,...

...AND I STILL GET ASKED FOR MY UNDEGRADUATE GPA from time to time! When it comes to interviewing, hiring, firing, promotions, raises, admission to grad school, applications for this or that scholarship or fellowship program, etc. undergrad GPA matters. JJ

Re: Dr. Joe's AP advice...
 

I agree completely. I would take as hard of classes as you can in high school and then start out new in college.

That GPA thing is definitely money in your pocket. And that adjustment thing is really important and I've watched several classmates GPAs head the wrong direction because of that both this semester and the previous.

I would however reccomend taking both English and Speech for college credit if you plan on going into Engineering. It just seems like to big of a hassle to have to worry about a paper you have to turn in and a Calculus 2 test you have at the same time.

I would reccomend in General to take all you Math and Science classes at college. College teacher can teach way different from high school teachers and it is definitely nice to have a semester to get use to the new style. I would recommend to talk to other students to find out the good teachers and then try to pick the same teacher for consectutive semester in most cases if possible. I've took Chem 1 and Chem 2 from the same teacher and it is good because I am use to her teaching style.

About AP classes I don't know much. I went to a school with only a 4.0 scale where you couldn't get over a 4.0 (believe me I tried) and where there wasn't AP classes.

So good luck where ever you go and learn as much as you can.

Re: AP Calculus
 

Re: AP Calculus
 

I took the Calc BC test and I was surprised by the difficulty of the calculator sections when compared to the non-calculator ones. The section which will save me on the Calc BC test was the non-calculator free response, while the calculator free-response and multiple choice hammered me.

I didn't like the Differential equation on the free-response non-calculator, but the taylor part was easy. And I heard from my calc teacher that LaGrange was a surprise to almost everyone, and it hadn't been on the AP in over five years, much like sinh and cosh.

Speaking of LaGrange, I was extremely lucky. A friend of mine was panicking the night before the AP, and he was studying from an old book (pre 1995). He had no idea how to go ahead and find the LaGrange values, and neither did I, so we wandered over to Wiki and found an unusual way of finding the error. We were very, very lucky for that.

My goal was not to test out of the class, and I am not submitting my AP scores to any colleges that I apply to, because I have been told many times that high school Calc II isn't real college calc.

Re: Dr. Joe's AP advice...
 

If you know the material, test out. Taking a course when you already know the material is not a good idea. You will be bored, frustrated, and probably won't end up with as high a grade as you would like. You'll also be making the course harder for people who are learning the material for the first time. College is expensive- there is no need to take courses you already have credit for! It takes time and money. Save those credits for professional electives or graduate early, don't waste them on courses you don't need to take.

That's my opinion anyway.
Greg