AP Calculus BC

9 sections available · 62 chapters available

Free AP Calculus BC study notes for AP (Advanced Placement) students. Each chapter covers a key topic with examples and practice prompts you can continue inside the thinka app.

Unit 1: Limits and Continuity

  • Limit notation and estimating limits from graphs and tables

  • Determining limits algebraically and selecting procedures

  • Squeeze Theorem and multiple representations of limits

  • Continuity, types of discontinuity and removing discontinuities

  • Infinite limits, limits at infinity and asymptotes

  • The Intermediate Value Theorem

Units 2-3: Differentiation - Definitions, Rules and Techniques

  • Rates of change and the definition of the derivative

  • Differentiability and continuity; when derivatives fail to exist

  • Power, constant, sum, difference and constant multiple rules

  • Derivatives of sin x, cos x, e^x and ln x

  • Product and quotient rules; derivatives of tan, cot, sec and csc

  • The chain rule

  • Implicit differentiation and derivatives of inverse functions

  • Higher-order derivatives and selecting differentiation procedures

Unit 4: Contextual Applications of Differentiation

  • Interpreting the meaning of the derivative in context

  • Straight-line motion: position, velocity and acceleration

  • Rates of change in applied contexts other than motion

  • Related rates

  • Local linearity, linearization and approximation

  • L'Hospital's Rule and indeterminate forms

Unit 5: Analytical Applications of Differentiation

  • Mean Value Theorem and Extreme Value Theorem

  • Increasing and decreasing intervals; the first derivative test

  • Absolute extrema and the candidates test

  • Concavity and the second derivative test

  • Sketching and connecting a function with its first and second derivatives

  • Optimization problems

  • Behaviors of implicit relations

Unit 6: Integration and Accumulation of Change

  • Riemann sums, summation notation and definite integral notation

  • Fundamental Theorem of Calculus and accumulation functions

  • Properties of definite integrals and evaluating definite integrals

  • Antiderivatives and integration by substitution

  • Integrating using long division and completing the square

  • Integration by parts (BC only)

  • Linear partial fractions (BC only)

  • Improper integrals and selecting antidifferentiation techniques (BC only)

Unit 7: Differential Equations

  • Modelling with and verifying solutions of differential equations

  • Slope fields and reasoning from them

  • Euler's method (BC only)

  • Separation of variables: general and particular solutions

  • Exponential models with differential equations

  • Logistic models with differential equations (BC only)

Unit 8: Applications of Integration

  • Average value of a function on an interval

  • Motion and accumulation functions in applied contexts

  • Area between curves

  • Volumes with cross sections

  • Volumes of revolution: disc method

  • Volumes of revolution: washer method

  • Arc length of a smooth planar curve and distance travelled (BC only)

Unit 9: Parametric Equations, Polar Coordinates, and Vector-Valued Functions (BC only)

  • Defining and differentiating parametric equations

  • Second derivatives and arc length of parametric curves

  • Defining, differentiating and integrating vector-valued functions

  • Motion problems with parametric and vector-valued functions

  • Polar coordinates and differentiating in polar form

  • Area of polar regions and regions bounded by two polar curves

Unit 10: Infinite Sequences and Series (BC only)

  • Convergent and divergent infinite series; geometric series

  • The nth term test and the integral test

  • Harmonic series, p-series and comparison tests

  • Alternating series test and the alternating series error bound

  • Ratio test; absolute and conditional convergence

  • Taylor polynomial approximations and the Lagrange error bound

  • Radius and interval of convergence of power series

  • Taylor and Maclaurin series; representing functions as power series

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