What Is The Hardest Part Of 2Unit Maths? (1 Viewer)

[possessionless]

for me i dont really find 2unit that hard but i just cant seem to grasp the harder maxima & minima problems. i find that the hardest.
what about you?

 

[Schoey93]

I assume the "Applications of Calculus to the Physical World" topic would be quite difficult.

Hey, read this if you're interested:

Lockhart's Lament

It's an article written by a mathematician who believes the way high school mathematics is taught is the equivalent to forbidding art students to paint on blank canvases, making then doing paint by numbers and forcing them to learn colour theory and brush strokes before starting that even. Furthermore, he doesn't believe school mathematics to be real mathematics.

Someone posted this in the "Do you like maths thread?" and I found it quite interesting, I just thought I'd try to spread it around a little.

 

[sirfeathers]

as a student who put lots of effort into 3U and really couldn't be bothered with 2U, i hated all the financial maths stuff - so tedious and easy to make a mistake.

i agree with the above post though, the hardest hsc Qs i found were the apps of calc ones.

 

[jet]

Hey, read this if you're interested:

Lockhart's Lament

Thats a great article, and so true.

I guess that the hardest topic changes with the person.
I would say that, with people not really being exposed to creativity, the harder max/min problems are extremely difficult. Same with geometry.

If you dont get physics, then ACPW gets hard as well. Anyway, its up to you.

 

[possessionless]

ah we havent got to that stuff yet. is that the applications of series stuff?
we did the series topic & skipped it because our teacher wanted to come back to it later. i think i may understand why =P

 

[Schoey93]

I absolutely agree with you. Financial maths was just annoying. Thankfully, I won't need to face it in the exam lol.

I find Max/Min problems tricky sometimes. Probably because I don't revise it very often so I'm not very experienced in approaching such questions.

I don't believe Financial Mathematics is a part of the Mathematics Advanced syllabus...

http://boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/pdf_doc/mathematics-advanced-st6-draft.pdf

 

[tommykins]

It is, in the series and sequences section.

Dude, she's done the HSC - she'd know more about the course than you would mate.

 

[Schoey93]

Sorry if I sounded cocky - I just looked at the areas of study and Financial Mathematics wasn't there. Also, keep in mind that she's studying a different syllabus to the one I will be studying if I choose Mathematics Advanced...the new syllabi for math are being introduced to Year 11 students in 2010, so Financial Mathematics may well be in the old syllabus (currently unavailable online, I think) but not in the new syllabus.

 

[suzlee]

So it's the '11ers who get the new maths syllabus?

 

[tommykins]

Sorry if I sounded cocky - I just looked at the areas of study and Financial Mathematics wasn't there. Also, keep in mind that she's studying a different syllabus to the one I will be studying if I choose Mathematics Advanced...the new syllabi for math are being introduced to Year 11 students in 2010, so Financial Mathematics may well be in the old syllabus (currently unavailable online, I think) but not in the new syllabus.

Mmm it's alright, sorry if I sounded offensive.

Consumer arithmetic should be in the new syllabus seeing as BOS want to do the whole 'applied math' ideal.

 

[Dragonmaster262]

Sorry if I sounded cocky - I just looked at the areas of study and Financial Mathematics wasn't there. Also, keep in mind that she's studying a different syllabus to the one I will be studying if I choose Mathematics Advanced...the new syllabi for math are being introduced to Year 11 students in 2010, so Financial Mathematics may well be in the old syllabus (currently unavailable online, I think) but not in the new syllabus.

Actually I remember seeing an article on ABC news that said that the Board of Studies was going to hold back the New Syllabus due to too many complaints from teachers.

 

[tommykins]

Looking at the Syllabus Devlopment thread - they're seirously dumbing down the course.

Goddamn I hate all this 'formula sheet' stuff.

IMO they need to teach students to derive all equations and formulas within their answer.

Obviously reduce the amount of questions though.

 

[Schoey93]

Actually I remember seeing an article on ABC news that said that the Board of Studies was going to hold back the New Syllabus due to too many complaints from teachers.

Yes, they have already delayed the implementation of the new syllabi. In fact, it was due for implementation with your year group, Dragon Master. Instead of implementing the new mathematics syllabi in 2009 for HSC examination in 2010, the Board of Studies will implement the new syllabi in 2010 for HSC examination in 2011. At least that's what I've read.

@ Tommy: I think they're dumbing the courses down because many students can't cope with the current level of difficulty involved in HSC math. Students in the bottom 10% of General Mathematics especially have trouble coping. The introduction of Mathematics General 1, the new more basic, practical course, aims to increase enrolments in NSW Stage 6 Mathematics and cater for these less able students, while still providing a good foundation for students who want to study nursing or the paramedical sciences.

I don't know why, but I believe even Mathematics Extension 1 and Extension 2 have been dumbed down. I believe 'Conics', whatever that is has been removed from the HSC Mathematics Extension 2 syllabus.

Edit: @ Tommy: What's the difference between applied math and pure math?

 

[Schoey93]

So it's the '11ers who get the new maths syllabus?

Yes, that's right.

 

[Trebla]

Yes, they have already delayed the implementation of the new syllabi. In fact, it was due for implementation with your year group, Dragon Master. Instead of implementing the new mathematics syllabi in 2009 for HSC examination in 2010, the Board of Studies will implement the new syllabi in 2010 for HSC examination in 2011. At least that's what I've read.

It was delayed due to the national curriculum scheduled to be implemented by 2011.

 

[Nevermore]

sometimes applications of series and sequences but most of the time applications of calculus.

They're not actually hard just tricky

 

[Trebla]

Hey, read this if you're interested:

Lockhart's Lament

It's an article written by a mathematician who believes the way high school mathematics is taught is the equivalent to forbidding art students to paint on blank canvases, making then doing paint by numbers and forcing them to learn colour theory and brush strokes before starting that even. Furthermore, he doesn't believe school mathematics to be real mathematics.

Whilst some of the issues raised in that statement about rote learning formulae without derivation is definitely an issue, there are others that I don't particularly agree on. It seems he wants the turn high school mathematics into a pure mathematics curriculum whilst almost fully disregarding the applied mathematics side. I do agree that the current syllabus (even in the US) has too much emphasis on applied mathematics, but there should be balance between applied and pure rather than almost fully concentrating on the pure art of mathematics.
I'm not sure what they learn in the US, but I reckon the Mathematics Extension 2 course here would pass as "real mathematics" in his terms lol as there is a lot of emphasis on the pure/art side of maths in this course if it is taught properly.

 

[tommykins]

Yes, they have already delayed the
@ Tommy: I think they're dumbing the courses down because many students can't cope with the current level of difficulty involved in HSC math. Students in the bottom 10% of General Mathematics especially have trouble coping. The introduction of Mathematics General 1, the new more basic, practical course, aims to increase enrolments in NSW Stage 6 Mathematics and cater for these less able students, while still providing a good foundation for students who want to study nursing or the paramedical sciences.

I guess general society is just dumb then.

Edit: @ Tommy: What's the difference between applied math and pure math?

I'm not 100% sure as I have yet to do Uni math to know the difference. But applied math would be say, finding the friction between two objects (ie. tyre and road) to obtain the perfect inclination to reduce slip when a car turns a bend.

Pure would be number theory and stuff, finding patterns for numbers I think.

Trebla or Iruka (maybe affinity if he reads it) would give a better explanation

 

[Timothy.Siu]

hardest part of 2unit is just doing lots of papers, so the time.

 

[buchanan]

In fact, it was due for implementation with your year group, Dragon Master. Instead of implementing the new mathematics syllabi in 2009 for HSC examination in 2010, the Board of Studies will implement the new syllabi in 2010 for HSC examination in 2011.

This is incorrect.

The Board of Studies never said that it was due for implementation in 2009 and first examined in 2010.

The syllabus was due for implementation in 2010 and first examined in 2011.

There is however a new delay happening due to complaints from teachers.

The delay may be such that it will be implemented in 2011 and first examined in 2012. A decision about this will be made on Feb. 17.