This course is offered to entering freshmen who have demonstrated mastery of Algebra 1 content. The course includes in-depth analysis of higher degree polynomials; analysis, interpretation and graphing of rational functions, including asymptotic behavior; an in-depth consideration of the conic sections, including transformations. Students who successfully complete Algebra 2 Honors typically enroll in Precalculus Honors after the completion of their Geometry course. A Texas Instruments TI-83 or TI-84 series graphing calculator is required.
*Class receives honors weighting in SI weighted GPA
This course follows generally the description of the traditional geometry course but provides extensive experience from early stages with the devising, presentation, and defense of student proofs and the theoretical consideration of the nature of proof (direct and indirect; in two-column, flow, and analytical paragraph form). The Honors course includes a more extensive coverage of solid geometry, an introduction to analytic geometry and trigonometry, and opportunities for curricular enrichment in problem-solving. Additional topics include vectors, trigonometric identities, conic sections, and the study of trigonometric and circular functions. Within the context of Geometry, the Honors course includes more challenging algebraic applications, such as solving quadratic, rational, irrational, logarithmic, and exponential equations. This course is designed for the student who successfully completed Algebra 2H as a freshman, but any student may apply. A Texas Instruments TI-83 or TI-84 series graphing calculator is required.
*Class receives honors weighting in SI weighted GPA
Precalculus mathematics is a course designed for the student who intends to continue the study of mathematics in the direction of the natural or physical sciences and is an intensive preparation for Calculus. Most of the course is an analysis of families of functions and relations – polynomials; rational function; radical functions; trigonometric functions, including an intense study of right triangle trigonometry, its applications to vectors, circular functions, and trigonometric identities; logarithmic functions; and exponential functions — and their graphs both algebraically and through the graphing calculator, including an introduction to the fundamental aspects of Calculus. Significant independent work is considered a requirement for this course – students will be asked to perform independent study tasks, including (but not limited to) viewing and taking notes from screencasts, taking online quizzes, and collaborative learning. A Texas Instruments TI-83 or TI-84 series graphing calculator is required.
*Class receives honors weighting in SI weighted GPA and UC/CSU GPA calculations
AP Calculus BC is an extension of AP Calculus AB rather than an enhancement. This course includes all topics covered in the AP Calculus AB course, with similar emphases and similar depth of understanding required. The course also presents intensive study of parametric, polar, and vector functions; sequences and series; and elementary differential equations. A Texas Instruments TI-83 or TI-84 series graphing calculator is required.
*Class receives honors weighting in SI weighted GPA and UC/CSU GPA calculations
