Hardest 4U Topic (1 Viewer)

[timeflies]

We've covered complex numbers and started conics and I was wondering what people think the hardest topic in 4U Maths is? What should i not be looking forward to?

Thanks!

 

[Carrotsticks]

Harder 3U.

 

[panda15]

Harder 3U.

 

[anomalousdecay]

Harder 3U.

It does usually comprise of 20% of the exam. I remember you getting stuck on the geometry questions when posting solutions lol.

But Carrot is right. That was the hardest topic for me. Also, many others find it the hardest topic as they usually rush through this section to finish the course just in time for HSC. Some schools don't even do Harder 3U topics.
I found Volumes very hard at one stage but improved around two months later with more work.

Looking back at my test paper, This is my performance:

Graphs: 5/6 (lost mc q9 (forgot to quickly check with L'Hopital's rule))

Polynomials: 6/9 (mcq4 (silly wrong substitution error), sillies in 16.a.ii and iii will cost me two marks, so 3/5)

Complex: 13/18 (lost the induction question completely 0/3, 1/3 for the complex diagram)

Integration: 16/19 (did 13.a.i completely wrong and probably got zero, or maybe one for showing that I can do int. by parts)

Volumes: 4/5 in test (didn't write one line properly and got a slightly different answer for 12.c.)

Harder ext. 1: 10/20 (mc q10, I'll get 1/5 for 13.c., I'll get 2/6 for 14.d. (didn't attempt iii and iv), 15.c.ii 0/2 (didn't read the question properly and lost two sillies there))

Conics: 6/6

Mechanics: 4/7 (mc q7, 15.d.iii (used the wrong substitution, so 0/2))

1/10 for the mechonical/conechinal last question (Had no clue in how to find theta. If the diagram clearly showed theta then I would have easily gained 5/6 marks)


Total: 64/100. This is a high 88/89 mark OP.

As a case study, I have just illustrated how tedious harder ext.1 can be.
Also, there are many cases of silly mistakes and problems which could be eliminated.
You have to learn to approach many types of questions from all angles so that you can turn my 64% into something like a 75%.

 

[timeflies]

It does usually comprise of 20% of the exam.

Oh wow I did not know that yet. Looks like its one of the topics you should really practice and do well on. Hopefully our teacher spends quite a bit of time on the harder 3u stuff.

Total: 64/100. This is a high 88/89 mark OP.

As a case study, I have just illustrated how tedious harder ext.1 can be.
Also, there are many cases of silly mistakes and problems which could be eliminated.
You have to learn to approach many types of questions from all angles so that you can turn my 64% into something like a 75%.

Thanks for the detailed response and it really helps by looking at other's results to estimate how hard topics are haha talking about sillies, I'm one that makes a silly mistake or two in almost every exam I sit and I always kick myself for it! There has to be a way to avoid those ><
Btw congrats on the around 89 mark I guess the main thing in 4U is to practice a lot then?

 

[Ikki]

Harder 3U.

Yeah, I realised how hard harder 3u is when we started inequalities, at the beginning i was like, HOW DO WE START?! LOL.
But now, i'm relatively fine with it. Induction... Not so much.

 

[obliviousninja]

Yeah, I realised how hard harder 3u is when we started inequalities, at the beginning i was like, HOW DO WE START?! LOL.
But now, i'm relatively fine with it. Induction... Not so much.

Initially I was completely confused with induction where they give you initial sequence an is defined for. But over time, practicing and everything becomes fairly straightforward.

 

[anomalousdecay]

Btw congrats on the around 89 mark I guess the main thing in 4U is to practice a lot then?

Thank you. Yeah practice makes perfect.

 

[Ikki]

Initially I was completely confused with induction where they give you initial sequence an is defined for. But over time, practicing and everything becomes fairly straightforward.

Good to know

 

[RealiseNothing]

It does usually comprise of 20% of the exam. I remember you getting stuck on the geometry questions when posting solutions lol.

But Carrot is right. That was the hardest topic for me. Also, many others find it the hardest topic as they usually rush through this section to finish the course just in time for HSC. Some schools don't even do Harder 3U topics.
I found Volumes very hard at one stage but improved around two months later with more work.

Looking back at my test paper, This is my performance:

Graphs: 5/6 (lost mc q9 (forgot to quickly check with L'Hopital's rule))

Polynomials: 6/9 (mcq4 (silly wrong substitution error), sillies in 16.a.ii and iii will cost me two marks, so 3/5)

Complex: 13/18 (lost the induction question completely 0/3, 1/3 for the complex diagram)

Integration: 16/19 (did 13.a.i completely wrong and probably got zero, or maybe one for showing that I can do int. by parts)

Volumes: 4/5 in test (didn't write one line properly and got a slightly different answer for 12.c.)

Harder ext. 1: 10/20 (mc q10, I'll get 1/5 for 13.c., I'll get 2/6 for 14.d. (didn't attempt iii and iv), 15.c.ii 0/2 (didn't read the question properly and lost two sillies there))

Conics: 6/6

Mechanics: 4/7 (mc q7, 15.d.iii (used the wrong substitution, so 0/2))

1/10 for the mechonical/conechinal last question (Had no clue in how to find theta. If the diagram clearly showed theta then I would have easily gained 5/6 marks)


Total: 64/100. This is a high 88/89 mark OP.

As a case study, I have just illustrated how tedious harder ext.1 can be.
Also, there are many cases of silly mistakes and problems which could be eliminated.
You have to learn to approach many types of questions from all angles so that you can turn my 64% into something like a 75%.

Few things not quite right.

1) 30% of the HSC exam is supposed to be harder 3U, not 20%.

2) 64/100 is probably 90, not 88/89.

 

[timeflies]

Few things not quite right.

1) 30% of the HSC exam is supposed to be harder 3U, not 20%.

If close to 1/3 of the exam is on Harder 3U, why do some schools leave it till the end and rush through it? Or are you expected to learn/revise it yourself? Hopefully our school gives us sufficient time on the harder 3u stuff!

 

[RealiseNothing]

If close to 1/3 of the exam is on Harder 3U, why do some schools leave it till the end and rush through it? Or are you expected to learn/revise it yourself? Hopefully our school gives us sufficient time on the harder 3u stuff!

You learn most of harder 3U in the 3U course anyway, so you don't need all that much time actually learning new content, but rather just practising questions.
For example, there's nothing new in circle geo or perms/combs, it's just harder questions based on what you learnt in the 3U course.

 

[obliviousninja]

Few things not quite right.

1) 30% of the HSC exam is supposed to be harder 3U, not 20%.

2) 64/100 is probably 90, not 88/89.

The state ranker has spoken.

 

[panda15]

If close to 1/3 of the exam is on Harder 3U, why do some schools leave it till the end and rush through it? Or are you expected to learn/revise it yourself? Hopefully our school gives us sufficient time on the harder 3u stuff!

It's really only inequalities and the different induction type questions that need to be taught. All the other stuff is 3U content, but asked in a 4U way.

 

[Phaze]

We've covered complex numbers and started conics and I was wondering what people think the hardest topic in 4U Maths is? What should i not be looking forward to?

Thanks!

Weren't you the one that posted your teacher teaches at insane pace, tbh if that's the case you're going to struggle in 4U if they keep skipping through content :/ Do you have a 4U Tutor?

 

[hit patel]

Harder 3 U

 

[anomalousdecay]

Few things not quite right.

1) 30% of the HSC exam is supposed to be harder 3U, not 20%.

2) 64/100 is probably 90, not 88/89.

Was the areas part using loge inequalities of integration? Cause I added that in integration section.
Was 16a part of polynomials or harder ext. 1? I added it to poly.

If that's the case, then it would be 18/28 for harder ext.1 for me in the exam.
The thing is that many topics were mixed together this year. However, that just makes the test much more interesting and much more enjoyable. I have to say, the 2013 test is probably one of the most challenging yet rewarding to those who DON'T ROTE learn, but rather those who thoroughly understand the concepts of mathematics.

I'm hoping its a 90, but not really going off last year's standard. Gets me that little bit closer to all-rounders

 

[panda15]

The thing is that many topics were mixed together this year. However, that just makes the test much more interesting and much more enjoyable. I have to say, the 2013 test is probably one of the most challenging yet rewarding to those who DON'T ROTE learn, but rather those who thoroughly understand the concepts of mathematics.

I guess the one positive to come out of MC is that there will be more questions that mix topics like this years due to the reduced amount of free response questions, which will hopefully see the results of the rote learners drop off significantly. Maths shouldn't be a topic you are able to rote learn.

 

[anomalousdecay]

I guess the one positive to come out of MC is that there will be more questions that mix topics like this years due to the reduced amount of free response questions, which will hopefully see the results of the rote learners drop off significantly. Maths shouldn't be a topic you are able to rote learn.

Exactly. That is why I loved this year's paper, even though when doing past-papers at home I would get around 70-75%.