• Congratulations to the Class of 2024 on your results!
    Let us know how you went here
    Got a question about your uni preferences? Ask us here

A Comparison of Textbooks (1 Viewer)

Kimyia

Active Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2011
Messages
1,013
Gender
Female
HSC
2012
Uni Grad
2016
Please note: I recommend 1-2 textbooks reading the theory and doing the exercises is more than enough, then go straight to past papers for 2/3U.

If you can learn one textbook and understand the concepts from it well, then you are set. In the HSC you probably won't have the time for 3+ textbooks.
Thanks for the tips! :)
 

gloria123

New Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2011
Messages
6
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2012
im doing 2u maths in year 12 at the moment. our school uses maths in focus and its just crappy...doesnt provide enough practice just good examples.
what textbook should i use with it? i dropped from extension so 2u seems easy now, i want something abit harder to stay ahead.
i was thinking cambridge or fitzpatrick? thoughts?
 

Demento1

Philosopher.
Joined
Dec 23, 2011
Messages
866
Location
Sydney
Gender
Male
HSC
2014
Cambridge and Fitzpatrick are decent though in my opinion, I think 3 unit Cambridge and up from 2 unit is substantially better. In answer to the above question, try Cambridge or perhaps Terry Lee books.
 

RealiseNothing

what is that?It is Cowpea
Joined
Jul 10, 2011
Messages
4,591
Location
Sydney
Gender
Male
HSC
2013
im doing 2u maths in year 12 at the moment. our school uses maths in focus and its just crappy...doesnt provide enough practice just good examples.
what textbook should i use with it? i dropped from extension so 2u seems easy now, i want something abit harder to stay ahead.
i was thinking cambridge or fitzpatrick? thoughts?
I would definately get either cambridge or fitzpatrick, terry lee is pretty good as well.
 

HeyJes

Academic Tutor @ UNSW
Joined
Dec 3, 2011
Messages
632
Location
Kensington
Gender
Female
HSC
2012
Uni Grad
2016
Oh wow great thread!
Unfortunately our school uses math in focus
 

xDarkSilent

Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2012
Messages
81
Location
Sydney
Gender
Male
HSC
2012
Uni Grad
2016
Heyjes :)

Maths in focus is alright :p . Its just that the questions are really easy . But it explains the things really clearly, like i understood circle geometry from there.


Carrotsticks.

Coroneos Text books are so old :p . I have one that is hand written by him. and its so old fashioned that it is so good with plenty of hard questions, but its sometimes unreadable :p .
 

-billiris

Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2014
Messages
36
Location
NSW
Gender
Male
HSC
2016
Would a combo of Maths In Focus and Cambridge work well for prelim mathematics??
 

astroman

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 12, 2014
Messages
7,069
Location
Las Vegas
Gender
Male
HSC
2015
I started the slow switch from MIF to Fitz, and am finding it quite challenging. Just shows how shit MIF can make someone
 

Brian Tien

New Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
Messages
8
Gender
Male
HSC
2019
Fitzpatrick 2U textbook is despised by my class mates and even myself. Its examples and theory sometimes don't cover the harder questions, and the lack of worked solutions makes it hard to push yourself to understand the higher order questions that are generally at the end of each exercise.
Classmates and I try to work these out, but its hard when the theory in the book and examples pretty much only cover the first half, at most, of the exercise questions. Without a teacher to ask it would be very hard.
This is just my opinion and that of my class mates as well. Take it with a grain of salt
 

Brian Tien

New Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
Messages
8
Gender
Male
HSC
2019
HOWEVER
It's range of questions are good to be exposed to. It just takes quite a bit of effort of your part to find, ask, or just mentally grind through them and working out paper. The end of chapter "reviews" are excellent quick one-night study material (though you shouldn't be studying in one night) and generally good for revision, encompassing mediocre and difficult questions from all the topics covered in a particular chapter.
 

Jolteon

Active Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2016
Messages
99
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2018
I have the Fitzpatrick NEW SENIOR 2u Mathematics textbook.
Is it any different from the Fitzpat you guys are talking about?

Also my school uses the MiF and I get absolutely shat on by friends who use Cambridge in other schools and I completely see where they're coming from after borrowing their book.
INstead of doing MiF for homework for school, should I secretly just work on Cambridge questions instead? I'll still do theory from class though.
 
Last edited:

Drongoski

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2009
Messages
4,255
Gender
Male
HSC
N/A
I have the Fitzpatrick NEW SENIOR 2u Mathematics textbook.
Is it any different from the Fitzpat you guys are talking about?

Also my school uses the MiF and I get absolutely shat on by friends who use Cambridge in other schools and I completely see where they're coming from after borrowing their book.
INstead of doing MiF for homework for school, should I secretly just work on Cambridge questions instead? I'll still do theory from class though.
Why do you have to do it "secretly" your Cambridge questions. If your teacher gives you assignments from MIF, just do them. What questions/exercises you do outside MIF is up to you, depending on your ability and your available time; it is neither illegal nor a sin.

Schools are not allowed to offer certain courses ahead of time. But what do the top students do, with or without outside help. They just study ahead. Do whatever can help you do better, but not cheating.
 
Last edited:

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top