France Terminale Mathematics (specialty)
Chapters: 4
1. Algebra and geometry
Combinatorics and counting · Vectors, lines and planes in space · Orthogonality and distances in space · Parametric and Cartesian equations
- Permutations and Combinations – Counting without listing is the heart of this chapter. The fundamental principle of counting says: if one job can be done in m ways and the next in n ways, both together can be done in m × n ways. n! (n factorial) is 1 × 2 × … × n, with 0! = 1. A permutation is an arrangement, where order matters: the number of ways to arrange r things out of n different things is ⁿPᵣ = n!/(n − r)!. A combination is a selection, where order does not matter: ⁿCᵣ = n!/(r!(n − r)!). Each selection of r things can be arranged in r! ways, so ⁿPᵣ = ⁿCᵣ × r!. Useful facts: ⁿCᵣ = ⁿCₙ₋ᵣ and ⁿCᵣ + ⁿCᵣ₋₁ = ⁿ⁺¹Cᵣ. When some objects repeat, divide by the factorial of each repeat count.
- Three Dimensional Geometry – A line in space is fixed by one point on it and its direction. Its direction cosines l, m, n satisfy l² + m² + n² = 1; any numbers in the same ratio are direction ratios, and through two points they are (x₂ − x₁, y₂ − y₁, z₂ − z₁). Vector equation: r = a + λb. Cartesian equation: (x − x₁)/a = (y − y₁)/b = (z − z₁)/c. The angle between two lines is the angle between their directions: cosθ = |b₁·b₂|/(|b₁||b₂|). Two lines in space are parallel, intersecting or skew. The shortest distance between skew lines is d = |(a₂ − a₁)·(b₁ × b₂)|/|b₁ × b₂|; for parallel lines d = |b × (a₂ − a₁)|/|b|; d = 0 means they meet.
2. Analysis
Sequences: induction and limits · Limits of functions · Chain rule, second derivative, convexity · Continuity and intermediate value theorem · Natural logarithm · Sine and cosine functions · Antiderivatives and differential equations · Integration
- Proof by Mathematical Induction – Mathematical induction proves that a statement P(n) is true for every natural number n. Step 1 (base case): show P(1) is true. Step 2 (inductive step): assume P(k) is true for some k, and use it to show P(k + 1) is true. Then, like a line of dominoes, P(1) makes P(2) true, P(2) makes P(3) true, and so on for ever.
- Limits (Class 11): What a Function Gets Close To – A limit tells us which number f(x) gets close to when x gets close to a point. We walk towards the point from the left and from the right. If both sides reach the same number, that number is the limit. You will learn limits of polynomial, rational, trigonometric, exponential and log functions, with the standard results you must know.
- Continuity and Differentiability – A function is continuous at a point when its graph has no break there: the left limit, the right limit and the value are all equal. The derivative is the slope of the tangent line. With the chain rule, implicit differentiation, the rules for eˣ, ln x and inverse trig functions, logarithmic differentiation and parametric forms, you can differentiate almost any Class 12 function. The second derivative tells how the slope itself changes, that is, how the curve bends.
- Continuity and the Intermediate Value Theorem – A function is continuous at a point if its limit there equals its value. A continuous function on an interval has no jumps: it cannot skip a value between two of its values (intermediate value theorem). If it is also strictly monotone, it takes each such value exactly once.
- Logarithms – A logarithm tells you the power you need. log_b x = y means b^y = x. So log₂ 8 = 3 because 2³ = 8. Logs turn multiplying into adding: log(ab) = log a + log b, log(a/b) = log a − log b, log(aⁿ) = n log a. Base 10 is the common log, base e is the natural log (ln). Any base can be changed: log_b x = log x ÷ log b.
- Trigonometric Functions: Radians, Unit Circle, Graphs and Identities – An angle of one radian cuts an arc equal to the radius, so π radians = 180°. On a unit circle, the point at angle x is P = (cos x, sin x), which gives sin²x + cos²x = 1 and extends sine and cosine to every real number. The signs follow 'All, Sin, Tan, Cos' in quadrants I to IV; sin x and cos x repeat every 2π and stay between −1 and 1. Compound-angle formulas such as cos(A + B) = cos A cos B − sin A sin B lead to tan(A + B), cot(A + B), sum-to-product, double-angle and triple-angle identities.
- Differential Equations – A differential equation connects a function y with its derivatives. Its order is the highest derivative present and its degree is the power of that derivative (when the equation is a polynomial in derivatives). A general solution has arbitrary constants; a condition like y(0) = 1 fixes them to give a particular solution. Class 12 solves first-order equations of three kinds: variables separable, homogeneous (put y = vx) and linear dy/dx + Py = Q (multiply by the integrating factor e^∫P dx).
- Integrals – Integration undoes differentiation: if F′(x) = f(x), then ∫f(x) dx = F(x) + C. We integrate with standard formulas, substitution (replace an inside part by u), partial fractions (split a fraction) and by parts (∫u dv = uv − ∫v du). A definite integral ∫ₐᵇ f(x) dx is the signed area under the curve from a to b, and the fundamental theorem says it equals F(b) − F(a). Its properties make many hard integrals easy.
3. Probability
Bernoulli trials and binomial distribution · Sums of random variables · Concentration inequalities, law of large numbers
- Binomial Distribution – Repeat the same yes/no trial n times, independently, with the same chance of success p each time. The number of successes X follows the binomial distribution B(n, p): P(X = k) = ⁿCₖ pᵏ qⁿ⁻ᵏ with q = 1 − p. Its mean is np and its variance is npq.
- Random Variables and Probability Distributions – A random variable X gives a number to every outcome of a chance experiment. A discrete random variable takes separate values; its probability distribution lists each value x with its probability P(X = x), and these add up to 1. The mean (expected value) is E(X) = Σ x·P(x). The variance Var(X) = E(X²) − [E(X)]² measures spread, and the standard deviation is its square root.
- The Law of Large Numbers – If you repeat the same random experiment many times, the relative frequency of an event gets closer and closer to its probability p. More precisely, for any small distance ε, the chance that the frequency (or the sample mean) is farther than ε from the true value goes to 0 as the number of trials n grows. Chebyshev's inequality gives a bound: P(|X̄ − μ| ≥ ε) ≤ σ² ÷ (nε²).
4. Algorithms
Lists, sequence algorithms, bisection, Newton’s method
- Numerical Methods: Finding Roots and Areas Step by Step – Some equations and areas cannot be found with a neat formula. Numerical methods get as close as we like with simple repeated steps: check a change of sign, halve the interval (bisection), slide down tangents (Newton-Raphson), repeat x = g(x) (fixed-point iteration), add up trapeziums for an area, and walk along a slope in small steps (Euler).