To whom it may concern,
If it is calculus that you will learn,
Take heed of our advice,
We hope it will suffice.
First some things you'll need to know,
(If you don't, well, we told you so)
Know your algebra very well
Or your life will be a living hell.
Absolute values may look silly, 'tis true,
But unless you know them you won't have a clue.
Geometry will come back to haunt you;
Know it or else this class will daunt you.
Know about functions in relation to sets
(A good thing to know for blondes and brunettes).
A silly rhyme but what else is new?
Now here's more you'll need to review.
Do not think as asinine
Tangent, cotangent, and cosine.
And do not dismiss it as incidental
When you study a transcendental.
If you don't remember log and ln
Oh what trouble you'll be in.
And though derivatives may seem quite grim,
If you don't know them you'll be out on a lim.
Be prepared to understand integrals
(Calculating area within intervals).
Later in the year you'll learn the rest
Of what you should know for the AP test.
And now as we are nearing the end
There's one last thing we will recommend:
When concepts become a little muddy
It's good to study with a learning buddy.
This is all we have to say.
We hope you have a nice day.
Though poorly written, this poem's no lie;
From Cathy and Amanda, good luck and good-bye.
Written at end of Ms. Glotzer's Calculus AB AP class at Ridgewood High School, 1992.
c. 1992, 2001 Cathy Gellis and Amanda O'Connor
Cathy or Amanda
www.csua.berkeley.edu/~cathyg