Escape The Calculus Casino

You have been trapped inside the ultimate calculus casino escape challenge.

Contestants, the casino doors have locked behind you. The alarms are quiet for now, but security is closing in. To escape, you must solve a sequence of AP Calculus AB rooms hidden throughout the casino. Work through the problems carefully, keep your reasoning organized, and make your way to the final exit before the casino traps you inside for good.

Casino Map

The path you will be taking.

1. Casino FloorLimits and derivatives unlock the first doors.
2. Vault HallwayIntegrals disable the vault laser system.
3. Security WingApplications complete the final chase.
4. Final EscapeFinish the challenge and make your way out.
How it works

Rules before you play.

01

Follow the Order

Complete the casino rooms in sequence. Start on the Casino Floor, move through the Vault Hallway, and finish in the Security Wing.

02

Solve the Rooms

Each room contains AP Calculus AB problems. Read carefully and show complete work on paper as you move through the challenge.

03

Use the Right Format

Round decimals to three places when needed and keep your notation clear and consistent.

04

Show Full Work

Use the room prompts as practice and write out complete calculus work so your reasoning is easy to check.

05

Finish Strong

Move through every room carefully and verify your final answers before you leave the casino.

Room 1 • Limits & Derivatives

Room 1: The Casino Floor

Contestants, you have entered the main casino floor. Slot machines flash in every direction, poker chips are scattered across the tables, and security cameras track every move you make. The exit doors are sealed, and the only way forward is to solve the first set of calculus locks. Use your knowledge of limits and derivatives to crack the casino’s first security system and unlock the path to the vault hallway.

Locks 1–5

Casino Floor challenges

Open-ended answers only. Use a scientific calculator, and round decimals to three places when needed.

Non-traditional limit

Lock 1: Left-side table entrance

A blackjack scanner near the left entrance flashes this graph of f(x). You must evaluate the limit the scanner is using before the gate will open.

This is the graph of f(x).
Find: lim as x → 0 of f(1 − √(x²))
L’Hospital’s Rule

Lock 2: Jackpot limit

A progressive slot machine grows according to a limit expression shown on its maintenance screen. Compute the long-run jackpot value to release the next chip tray.

Find: lim as x → ∞ of (1 + 5/x)^x
Product/quotient rule with table

Lock 3: Poker table derivative

A poker analytics monitor tracks three changing casino functions f, g, and h. Use the data table to compute the derivative that controls the table's automatic shuffle lock.

Given the table:
x | f(x) | f'(x) | g(x) | g'(x) | h(x) | h'(x)
1 | 4    | -2    | 3    | 5     | 2    | -1
2 | -1   | 6     | 1    | -3    | 5    | 2
3 | 2    | 1     | -2   | 4     | 6    | -5

p(x) = x² f(g(x)) / (h(x) + g(x))
Find p'(2).
Implicit differentiation

Lock 4: Hidden card curve

A hidden card pattern on the felt follows an implicit curve. The dealer's scanner is calibrated at one highlighted point, and you need the slope there to expose the next key.

Find dy/dx if (x + y²)² = x at the point (0.25, 0.5).
Inverse trig with chain rule

Lock 5: Security camera angle

A ceiling camera sweeps across the roulette floor according to an inverse trig model. Find its instantaneous turning rate so your team can slip past the blind spot.

Find dy/dt if y = sin⁻¹(1 − 3t²) at t = 0.5.
Room 2 • Integrals

Room 2: The Vault Hallway

Contestants, you have made it past the casino floor and reached the hallway leading to the vault. Red laser beams sweep across the floor, warning lights flash on the walls, and the vault door is protected by a timed security system. To move forward, you must solve the integral rooms and disable the casino’s vault defenses before the alarm fully activates.

Locks 6–8

Vault Hallway challenges

These three integral locks match Part II of the rubric. Keep answers in AP format and round decimals to three places when needed.

Rules for definite integrals

Lock 6: Laser balance panel

A laser control panel in the vault hallway combines three accumulated signal values. Use the definite integrals below to compute the panel's final reading.

Let ∫ from 2 to 5 f(x) dx = -3,
∫ from 2 to 5 g(x) dx = 7,
and ∫ from 1 to 3 h(x) dx = 2.

Determine:
∫ from 2 to 5 [-2f(x) + 4g(x)] dx − ∫ from 1 to 3 h(x) dx
U-substitution definite integral

Lock 7: Vault code integral

The vault keypad updates its code using a continuously changing rate. Evaluate the definite integral to reveal the next numeric release value.

Find:
∫ from 0 to 4 [6x/(x² + 6)] dx
U-sub indefinite trig integral

Lock 8: Rotating vault wheel

A rotating vault wheel is driven by a trig-based motion pattern. Find the antiderivative that models the wheel's total angular change.

Find:
∫ 12x² cos(2x³ − 5) dx
Room 3 • Applications

Room 3: The Security Wing

Contestants, the vault alarm has been triggered. A security guard is sprinting down the hallway, the cameras are locked onto your location, and the final exit is almost within reach. To escape, you must solve real-world calculus application problems involving motion, rates, accumulation, area, and volume. Each answer brings you closer to shutting down the security system and reaching the final casino exit.

Locks 9–12

Security Wing challenges

These four application problems match the final project sheet. Round to three decimals when needed and include units in your work, even if the form only asks for the numeric answer.

Related rates

Lock 9: Security sensor rate

The casino protects the main vault using a laser sensor that is placed 30 feet from the base of the vault wall. A thief is climbing vertically up the vault wall at a rate of 12 ft/sec. The laser sensor on the ground rotates upwards to track the thief. When the thief is 16 feet above the ground, how fast is the angle of elevation of the laser sensor changing? Round your answer to three decimal places.
Accumulation / approximation

Lock 10: Alarm power usage

The casino, which is open 24/7, uses large amounts of electricity to operate. The table below gives the rate at which electricity is consumed at different time intervals.

Elapsed time since 12 A.M. (hrs): 0, 3, 7, 9, 14, 18, 21, 23, 24
Rate (kW): 850, 750, 700, 650, 650, 700, 900, 950, 850

Use the Trapezoidal Rule to approximate the total amount of electricity the casino consumes during this one-day period in kilowatt hours.
Particle motion

Lock 11: Guard chase

A security guard is sprinting down a hallway to catch an intruder, which is you, in the vault. What is the total distance traveled by the guard down the hallway from 0 to 5 seconds if his velocity in feet per second is modeled by the function v(t) = 3t² − 18t + 24?
Area / volume

Lock 12: Final exit shaft

A big trophy for a poker tournament is being designed, and the base of the trophy is given by the region R in the first quadrant bounded by the graphs of f(x) = √x and g(x) = x/2. For this solid, each cross section perpendicular to the x-axis is a square. Find the volume of the trophy.
Final Escape • Cash out

Final Escape: Cash Out and Leave the Casino

Contestants, you have survived the casino floor, disabled the vault hallway security, and escaped through the security wing. The final exit door is in front of you. Take one last look over your work, make sure every room is complete, and head for the exit before security reaches the vault.

Casino Floor CompletedVault Hallway CompletedSecurity Wing Completed