This manual was developed by Stu Schwartz for the new Advanced Placement® Precalculus

course that begins in the Fall of 2023. The student manual is available for download from the
mastermathmentor.com website free of charge and may be copied for purposes of face-to-face
instruction. The student manuals and solution manuals may not be altered in any way in the
copy process. Placing either the student version or solution version on the Internet or on school
websites is illegal without special permission. Teachers may make printed copies of solutions
but may not provide the solutions electronically except without special permission.

The College Board makes no endorsement of this product.

Graphics in this manual were produced from:

1. Texas Instruments 84 Graphing Calculator

2. Intaglio ™ software: http://www.purgatorydesign.com/Intaglio/
3. MathType for the Mac © Design Science Corp.
4. Grapher Software: © Apple Computer Corp.

Thanks to my friend and business partner Ted Tyree for his unwavering support and creativity
in all my projects and for always finding time to bring my materials free to anyone who wants
them through the Internet. Thanks to Sam Tsui (Yale University, 2011) for developing the
www.mastermathmentor.com logo below and to Jason Nocera of Niche Cartoons
http://www.nichecartoons.com for developing the cover art starring Fanucci the Cat. Thanks to
Jen Castor of Wissahickon High School for her advice throughout the rewrite process and to Dr.
Sheldon Goldberg for editing the work. Finally, thanks to all the teachers who are members of
MasterMathMentor and who encouraged me to create the manual.

In a project of this nature, it is extremely possible that mathematical typos have worked their
way into this manual. It is terribly difficult to find errors in the editing process. So, if you do
find mistakes of any type please let me know at [email protected]. I will
immediately correct them, alert people through our errata page (giving you credit) and update
the revision to our server.

As always, questions or comments are always welcome. Best regards,

Stu Schwartz
March, 2023

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 Table of Contents

To the Student .................................................................................................................................................... iii

Unit 1: Polynomials and Rational Functions

Topic 1 Classwork: Functions and Graph Behavior ............................................................................. 1-1

Topic 1 Homework ............................................................................................................................... 1-7
Topic 2 Classwork: Rates of Change .................................................................................................... 1-9
Topic 2 Homework ............................................................................................................................. 1-13
Topic 3 Classwork: Change in Linear and Quadratic Functions ........................................................ 1-15
Topic 3 Homework ............................................................................................................................. 1-19
Topic 4: Classwork: Polynomials ....................................................................................................... 1-21
Topic 4 Homework ............................................................................................................................. 1-25
Topic 5: Classwork: Polynomials and Their Zeros............................................................................. 1-27
Topic 5 Homework ............................................................................................................................. 1-36
Topic 6 Classwork: End Behavior ...................................................................................................... 1-39
Topic 6: Homework ............................................................................................................................ 1-43
Topic 7 Classwork: Polynomial Modeling ......................................................................................... 1-44
Topic 7 Homework ............................................................................................................................. 1-53
Topic 8: Classwork: Rational Functions ............................................................................................. 1-57
Topic 8: Homework ............................................................................................................................ 1-62
Topic 9 Classwork: Rewriting Expressions ........................................................................................ 1-65
Topic 9 Homework ............................................................................................................................. 1-70
Topic 10 Classwork: Polynomial and Rational Inequalities * ............................................................ 1-73
Topic 10 Homework ........................................................................................................................... 1-75
Topic 11 Classwork: Transformations ................................................................................................ 1-76
Topic 11 Homework ........................................................................................................................... 1-80
Topic 12 Classwork: Rational Function Modeling ............................................................................. 1-82
Topic 12 Homework ........................................................................................................................... 1-85

Unit 2: Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

Topic 1 Classwork: Arithmetic Sequences ........................................................................................... 2-1

Topic 1 Homework ............................................................................................................................... 2-5
Topic 2 Classwork: Geometric Sequences ........................................................................................... 2-7
Topic 2 Homework ............................................................................................................................. 2-10
Topic 3 Classwork: Exponential Functions ........................................................................................ 2-12
Topic 3 Homework ............................................................................................................................. 2-18
Topic 4: Classwork: Composition of Functions ................................................................................. 2-21
Topic 4 Homework ............................................................................................................................. 2-24
Topic 5: Classwork: Inverses .............................................................................................................. 2-27
Topic 5 Homework ............................................................................................................................. 2-31
Topic 6 Classwork: Logarithms .......................................................................................................... 2-32
Topic 6 Homework ............................................................................................................................. 2-38
Topic 7 Classwork: Properties of Logarithms .................................................................................... 2-40
Topic 7 Homework ............................................................................................................................. 2-45

* Topic not specifically covered on AP Precalculus Framework

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 Topic 8: Classwork: Exponential Models * ........................................................................................ 2-49
Topic 8: Homework ............................................................................................................................ 2-60
Topic 9 Classwork: Regression .......................................................................................................... 2-65
Topic 9 Homework ............................................................................................................................. 2-73
Topic 10 Classwork: Semi-Log Plots ................................................................................................. 2-77
Topic 10 Homework ........................................................................................................................... 2-79

Unit 3: Trigonometric and Polar Functions

Topic 1 Classwork: Radian and Degree Measure * .............................................................................. 3-1

Topic 1 Homework ............................................................................................................................... 3-5
Topic 2 Classwork: The Trigonometric Functions ............................................................................. 3-11
Topic 2 Homework ............................................................................................................................. 3-19
Topic 3 Classwork: Using Trigonometric Functions .......................................................................... 3-24
Topic 3 Homework ............................................................................................................................. 3-34
Topic 4: Classwork: Graphs of Trigonometric Functions .................................................................. 3-41
Topic 4 Homework ............................................................................................................................. 3-57
Topic 5: Classwork: Analytical Trigonometry ................................................................................... 3-61
Topic 5 Homework ............................................................................................................................. 3-70
Topic 6 Classwork: Solving Oblique Triangles * ............................................................................... 3-77
Topic 6: Homework ............................................................................................................................ 3-90
Topic 7 Classwork: Trig and Polar Coordinates ................................................................................. 3-98
Topic 7 Homework ........................................................................................................................... 3-103
Topic 8: Classwork: Polar Graphs .................................................................................................... 3-106
Topic 8: Homework .......................................................................................................................... 3-113

Unit 4: Functions Involving Parameters, Vectors and Matrices (Additional topics not tested on AP exam)

Topic 1 Classwork: Parametric Functions ............................................................................................ 4-1

Topic 1 Homework ............................................................................................................................. 4-10
Topic 2 Classwork: The Conic Sections ............................................................................................. 4-15
Topic 2 Homework ............................................................................................................................. 4-26
Topic 3 Classwork: Vectors ................................................................................................................ 4-32
Topic 3 Homework ............................................................................................................................. 4-38
Topic 4: Classwork: Matrices and Notation * .................................................................................... 4-42
Topic 4 Homework ............................................................................................................................. 4-46
Topic 5: Classwork: Matrix Operations .............................................................................................. 4-47
Topic 5 Homework ............................................................................................................................. 4-54
Topic 6: Classwork: Linear Transformations and Matrices ............................................................... 4-56
Topic 6 Homework ............................................................................................................................. 4-61
Topic 7: Classwork: Matrix Applications ........................................................................................... 4-64
Topic 7 Homework ............................................................................................................................. 4-69

* Topic not specifically covered on AP Precalculus Framework

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 To the Student

Welcome to Advanced Placement Precalculus, the College Board’s new mathematics course.

This course was primarily designed for students who will not be taking AP Calculus in high school. And yet,
when you enter college, you very well may be entering a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering,
Mathematics) field or one that is on its periphery. In that case, some basic knowledge of calculus is needed. In
the past, students enter a University level calculus course and get blown away because many of the required
skills they need in this course is lacking. In that case, students have to take the college precalculus course first.
Taking this AP precalculus course and doing well in the AP exam ensures that you will have all the skills
needed in that first university calculus course which can be intimidating to students.

However, this course is intended to do double duty. You will study a broad spectrum of function types that are
foundations for careers in biology, health science, social science and data science. Modeling, a central
instructional theme for the course, helps students come to a deeper understanding of the analytical skills and
why they are important. The types of problem situations encountered are no longer of the mundane types:
“John is twice as old as Mary” , “How many cantaloupes did Edna buy?”, “How many nickels does Bob have?”,
and “Find 3 consecutive numbers whose sum is 54.” Rather the problems are meaningful to real life whether it
is finding the value of a monthly deposit after 5 years of gaining interest, estimating the amount of sunlight in a
certain city on a certain day, or the cheapest cost to build a structure of a given size, to name a few. No longer
will you be asking your math teacher “when are we ever going to use this?”

The structure of this manual matches the structure of my AP Calculus manuals that many teachers use
worldwide. It is meant to be used in conjunction with your teacher. It is not a textbook that shows all the
methodology of solving problems. Rather it is a workbook. There is a classwork section that gives your
teacher his or her lesson plans. It covers every aspect of the topic that is required to be taught. There are
examples that you will write in solutions as your teacher explains them. I believe that you learn math by writing
it – and not just reading it. The better you complete all the examples with the teacher acting as guide, the better
tool you will have for studying it later.

You then have the homework section which again, leaves space for you to write in your solutions. The problems
in homework mirror that of what was shown in classwork.

The advantage of this manual is that if you are absent from class, you have the class notes. You ask the teacher
what pages you missed and you either ask the teacher, or better yet, get help from a friend in catching you up.
You are never having to write down the problem, just the solutions.

By the end of the course, you will have the entire manual filled in. When you encounter that first calculus
college class, you can look at the manual to refresh your memory. Hundreds of students have told me how they
still refer to their AP Calculus manual when they are taking advanced math courses that use calculus.

This manual was developed in 6 months. It is essentially a one-man operation and despite much proofreading,
errors still creep in. So if you spot something incorrect, please contact me at [email protected]. If
you are right, I will correct the error. And if you have a question, just ask. I will respond personally.

My goal is not only to make it easy for you to learn AP precalculus but more importantly, for you to enjoy the
course and get you excited where math can take you. I wish you the best of luck.

Yours mathematically,
Stu Schwartz and Fanucci the Cat

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 Unit 1
Polynomials and Rational Functions

# Unit 1 Topic Class- Home-

Work Work
1 Functions and Graph Behavior 1-1 1-7
2 Rates of Change 1-9 1-13
3 Change in Linear and Quadratic Functions 1-15 1-19
4 Polynomials 1-21 1-25
5 Polynomials and their Zeros 1-27 1-36
6 End Behavior 1-39 1-43
7 Polynomial Modeling 1-44 1-53
8 Rational Functions 1-57 1-62
9 Rewriting Expressions 1-65 1-70
10 Polynomial and Rational Inequalities 1-73 1-75
11 Transformations 1-76 1-82
12 Rational Function Modeling 1-82 1-85

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