Reflective Essay To AP Calculus

When I saw AP Calculus AB on my schedule for 11th grade, I expected to like it as much as any other math class. However, I was wrong. I loved it. I loved learning how concepts I had learned in previous classes were useful. I loved the childlike wonder I would experience whenever a mathematical revelation was made. I loved the thought that I was calculating numbers that gave answers about how the universe operates. Furthermore, I found a subject that helped me to capture my curiosity about the world and invest it into my learning. Throughout the year, I found myself in awe of the fact that calculus is able to infallibly explain the laws of motion in the universe; it’s incredible how many scenarios calculus is able to describe. For instance, the launch of Sputnik or any other spacecraft would be impossible without the ability to find the precise measurement of …show more content…
More specifically, it was so fascinating to see how formulas I had been using since elementary school were founded on the basis of calculus; the mathematics used to find the volume of a solid formed by revolving the region bounded by the equation y equals the square root of the quantity r-squared minus x-squared, where r is a positive constant, and the x-axis from -r to r can be simplified down to the widely-known formula for the volume of a sphere, enforcing the fact that calculus has been able to facilitate the gathering of information about the workings of the world. Additionally, calculus has given me a sense of direction regarding the field of study I will choose in the future. My interests had previously become divided among many different subjects and I had very little basis on which to begin making decisions. Even though I’m not completely decided yet, I now know that a major where calculus is integral is a course of study that I’d be passionate about