Topic 5: Calculus
Concepts
Essential understandings:
Calculus describes rates of change between two variables and the accumulation of limiting areas. Understanding these rates of change and accumulations allow us to model, interpret and analyze real- world problems and situations. Calculus helps us to understand the behaviour of functions and allows us to interpret the features of their graphs.
Suggested concepts embedded in this topic:
Change, patterns, relationships, approximation, generalization, space, modelling.
AHL: Systems, quantity.
Content-specific conceptual understandings:
The derivative may be represented physically as a rate of change and geometrically as the gradient or slope function.
Areas under curves can be can be approximated by the sum of the areas of rectangles which may be calculated even more accurately using integration.
Examining rates of change close to turning points helps to identify intervals where the function increases/decreases, and identify the concavity of the function.
Numerical integration can be used to approximate areas in the physical world.
Mathematical modelling can provide effective solutions to real-life problems in optimization by maximizing or minimizing a quantity, such as cost or profit.
Derivatives and integrals describe real-world kinematics problems in two and three-dimensional space by examining displacement, velocity and acceleration.
AHL: Some functions may be continuous everywhere but not differentiable everywhere.
AHL: A finite number of terms of an infinite series can be a general approximation of a function over a limited domain.
AHL: Limits describe the output of a function as the input approaches a certain value and can represent convergence and divergence.
AHL: Examining limits of functions at a point can help determine continuity and differentiability at a point.
SL Content
SL 5.1
Introduction to the concept of a limit.
Derivative interpreted as gradient function and as rate of change.
SL 5.2
Increasing and decreasing functions.
SL 5.3
SL 5.4
Tangents and normals at a given point, and their equations.
SL 5.5
Anti-differentiation with a boundary condition to determine the constant term.
Definite integrals using technology.
SL 5.6
Differentiation of a sum and a multiple of these functions.
The chain rule for composite functions.
The product and quotient rules.
SL 5.7
The second derivative.
SL 5.8
Local maximum and minimum points
Testing for maximum and minimum.
Optimization.
Points of inflexion with zero and non-zero gradients.
AHL 5.9
AHL 5.10
AHL 5.11
Definite integrals, including analytical approach.
Areas between curves.
AHL Content
AHL 5.12
Informal understanding of continuity and differentiability of a function at a point.
Understanding of limits (convergence and divergence).
Higher derivatives.
AHL 5.13
Repeated use of l’Hôpital’s rule.
AHL 5.14
Implicit differentiation.
Related rates of change.
Optimisation problems.
AHL 5.15
Indefinite integrals of the derivatives of any of the above functions.
The composites of any of these with a linear function.
Use of partial fractions to rearrange the integrand.
AHL 5.16
Integration by substitution.
Integration by parts.
Repeated integration by parts.
AHL 5.17
AHL 5.18
First order differential equations.
Variables separable.
AHL 5.19
Use of simple substitution, products, integration and differentiation to obtain other series.
Maclaurin series developed from differential equations.
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