Science and Math Courses

Rev: Jan. 5, 2023

Grade Level: 11 & 12 (Except with permission from instructor)
Prerequisites:  Successful completion of AP Calculus A/B or College Calculus I

Important Notes:  This calculus course consists of a full high school academic year of work that is comparable to calculus I and II courses in colleges and universities. At CEC the course extends slightly beyond the required AP topics to cover a complete college calculus II curriculum. These topics include:

• trigonometric integrands
• substitutions
• extended discussion of differential equations
• series applications that are not required by the core B/C curriculum

AP Calculus B/C extends the concepts of limits, differentiation, and integration studied in AP Calculus A/B to include sequences, infinite series, and parametric, polar and vector valued functions. More attention is given to techniques of integration using partial fractions, integration by parts and improper integrals. The student develops ideas from analysis throughout AP Calculus B/C. The course prepares the student for the BC level Advanced Placement test. Optional topics include discussion of historic mathematics problems such as the Gaussian integral, Basel problem, and interesting curves such as epicycloids, hypocycloids, tractrix curves, catenary curves and more. 

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Grade Level: 10-12
Prerequisites:  Successful completion of Algebra I, Geometry, and Chemistry

AP Chemistry is an introductory college-level chemistry course.  Students cultivate their understanding of chemistry through inquiry-based lab investigations as they explore the four Big Ideas: scale, proportion, and quantity; structure and properties of substances; transformations; and energy.

The nine units of instruction the students will become familiar with in preparation for the AP Chemistry exam are:

• Atomic structure and properties including the mole and periodic trends
• Molecular and ionic compound structure and properties including bonding
• intermolecular forces and properties
• Chemical reactions including stoichiometry and reaction types
• Kinetics
• Thermodynamics and its application
• Equilibrium including acids and bases and Le Chatelier's Principle

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Grades:  11-12
Prerequisites:  Student should have taken Calculus or be taking Calculus concurrently.

*Students MUST remain in the class for the entire year to complete 1.0 credit of Strand C Science credit.

AP Physics C is officially authorized by the College Board in mechanics. The course also offers supplemental material, including electricity and magnetism to design and build battle bots for the final project. This course is equivalent to calculus-based Physics at the university level and serves as the foundation physics course for students majoring in the physical sciences or engineering with the following:

• Motion, force and energy
• How to use the concept of torque to judo throw your teacher
• Hands-on lab activities with Nerf guns, Hot Wheel cars, and ultra-sonic motion detectors
• Designing and building small remote-operated vehicles

AP Physics is a laboratory course that is designed as a rigorous introductory college level physics course with laboratory activities. The student examines mechanics, electricity and magnetism at a level appropriate for college majors in the physical sciences and engineering. It is recommended as a second-year physics course for the student interested in the physical sciences and/or engineering. The student uses calculus to formulate physical principles of electricity and magnetism to solve problems and applies inquiry to the study of matter and energy and their interaction. The student is encouraged, but is not required, to take the AP exam at the end of the school year. 

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Grade Level: 10-12
Prerequisites:  Successful completion of Algebra II
Requirement:  Must be willing to apply to take the AP Statistics exam

AP Probability & Statistics is the high school equivalent of a one semester, introductory college statistics course. Students develop strategies for collecting, organizing, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data. Students design, administer, and tabulate results from surveys and experiments. Probability and simulations aid students in constructing models for chance behavior. Sampling distributions provide the logical structure for confidence intervals and hypothesis tests. To develop effective statistical communication skills, students are required to prepare frequent written and oral analyses of real data.

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Grades: 9-12
Recommended: Successful completion of Algebra I and Chemistry

Would you like to learn more about the universe such as galaxies, stars, and the Earth’s place in the universe?

• History and development of astronomy and physics
• The formation of the solar system and universe with most up to date theories
• Workings of stars and their life cycles
• Cosmology
• Comparative planetology and the basic working and use of telescopes

The course is project driven and uses a variety of learning methods to develop a more expansive, mathematical understanding of astronomy.

Astronomy is a laboratory course and is designed to help the student develop a clear understanding of the formation and workings of the universe. This will include learning about our planet’s position in the solar system, comparative planetology, the workings of stars and the Sun, formation and identification of galaxies, tools of astronomy, and theories of cosmology and the big bang theory. This class will use algebra and geometry to understand and support a deeper understanding of celestial mechanics, Kepler’s and Newton’s Laws, and methods of measuring stars. The student examines scientific thinking and practices, and how science impacts individuals and society. Literacy strategies are integrated throughout the curriculum, and a variety of activities will support student learning.

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Grades:  11-12
Recommended:  3.0 Cumulative GPA, successful completion of Biology and Chemistry.

Would you like to learn the science of CSI?

• Applied Criminalistics
• Learn science used to solve crimes
• Ballistics, Pathology, Blood Spatter and more

Forensic Science is an advanced laboratory course designed for students interested in forensic science. The philosophical, rational, and practical framework that supports a forensic investigation is presented via an integrated curriculum. This course presents the unifying principles of forensic science, discusses the foundation of forensic science in the basic sciences and mathematics, and introduces the technique of integrating these areas in the determination of the cause of death. The student studies forensic anthropology, biochemistry, chemistry, botany, entomology, and physics as well as problem-solving techniques utilized in analyzing a crime scene.  Other topics include ballistics, autopsies, mass disasters, epidemiology of environmental disaster, biological weapons as well as toxicology, microbiology, and pathology. The instructor utilizes a variety of techniques (e.g., demonstration, lecture, laboratory case studies) and literacy strategies (e.g., reading, writing, speaking, research) to deliver the curriculum. 

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