preparation for maths course 1st year(no ext/ext 2 for hsc) (1 Viewer)

[Ted Limones]

Pretty much the same as the thread tha_crossroads made but for the maths side of things.

I've got both ext and ext 2 maths books but with time running out till uni starts, was wondering what chapters/ideas are relevant to first year engineering.

 

[D94]

MX1:

Further Trigonometry
Polynomials
Methods of Integration
Primitive of sin2x and cos2x
Inverse functions and inverse trigonometric functions
Induction
Logarithms/Exponentials

MX2:

Graphs
Complex Numbers
Integration
Polynomials

Implicit Differentiation

 

[RazorICE]

Another topic you might want to get a head-start on which is heavily used in first year maths is that of Matrices. They're quite easy to understand, but some people who haven't encountered them during the HSC tend to find them a bit tricky.

 

[steven holwerda]

Another topic you might want to get a head-start on which is heavily used in first year maths is that of Matrices. They're quite easy to understand, but some people who haven't encountered them during the HSC tend to find them a bit tricky.

Thanks for the suggestion! Would it be enough to know how to add, multiply and use the inverse, or do you think it's helpful to learn more? (looked through the videos on khan academy)

 

[RazorICE]

Thanks for the suggestion! Would it be enough to know how to add, multiply and use the inverse, or do you think it's helpful to learn more? (looked through the videos on khan academy)

Just took a look at my first year maths notes (their only use now is to prop up my laptop and give it better circulation), here's what you'll learn to do with matrices in Semester 1:
* Basic matrix operations (as you mentioned -> add, multiply, inverse, transpose, determinants)
* Using matrices as representations of linear systems (basically, just google "Gaussian elimination" and learn that (it's easy) and you'll be WAY ahead of everyone)

Later, in Semester 2, you learn something called "Linear Algebra" which is basically just a bunch more stuff to do with matrices (hence why learning them well is a good thing to do).

Finally, I assume the HSC taught vectors, but just in case it didn't, also pick up vectors (basically 1-column matrices) and a couple of things to do with them (dot product, cross product, lengths, etc.).

It's all really easy stuff but because there's so much information you need to learn, it all gangs up on you quite quickly - the stuff above makes up less than a quarter of the course, but it all forms the basis (excellent, a linear algebra pun) of the rest of the material so it's much easier to pick up once you know the basic stuff.

 

[lolJK]

Just took a look at my first year maths notes...

Is there any way to upload your notes, or are they handwritten (probs)? Also, does anyone know any source of notes for math1131?

 

[Shadowdude]

You get course notes. That's pretty much all you need. It's like a textbook.

 

[steven holwerda]

Just took a look at my first year maths notes (their only use now is to prop up my laptop and give it better circulation), here's what you'll learn to do with matrices in Semester 1:
* Basic matrix operations (as you mentioned -> add, multiply, inverse, transpose, determinants)
* Using matrices as representations of linear systems (basically, just google "Gaussian elimination" and learn that (it's easy) and you'll be WAY ahead of everyone)

Later, in Semester 2, you learn something called "Linear Algebra" which is basically just a bunch more stuff to do with matrices (hence why learning them well is a good thing to do).

Finally, I assume the HSC taught vectors, but just in case it didn't, also pick up vectors (basically 1-column matrices) and a couple of things to do with them (dot product, cross product, lengths, etc.).

It's all really easy stuff but because there's so much information you need to learn, it all gangs up on you quite quickly - the stuff above makes up less than a quarter of the course, but form the basis (excellent, a linear algebra pun) of the rest of the material so it's much easier to pick up once you know the basic stuff.

Pretty sure you're the best guy ever right now

Was feeling pretty intimidated by all the people around me saying engineering's a really hard course but I'm beginning to feel like it's more something that you just needa learn foundation by foundation and if you can do that, you'll be struggling a whole lot less than the people who like to cram notes into their heads and forget everything a week after the exam is over.

 

[RazorICE]

Is there any way to upload your notes, or are they handwritten (probs)? Also, does anyone know any source of notes for math1131?

Unless it's changed, you get a UNSW-produced textbook-like "course pack" or something. One big-ass book for Calculus and another for Algebra. They're really good notes and really cheap (I don't remember exactly how much, but I'd say around $45ish?) One of the few "prescribed" textbooks I'd recommend getting (there's more when you get into the higher engineering courses).

 

[RazorICE]

Pretty sure you're the best guy ever right now

Was feeling pretty intimidated by all the people around me saying engineering's a really hard course but I'm beginning to feel like it's more something that you just needa learn foundation by foundation and if you can do that, you'll be struggling a whole lot less than the people who like to cram notes into their heads and forget everything a week after the exam is over.

Honestly, I wish I followed my own advice. I'm very much in the "cram notes and forget everything" camp, but I like to read in depth into the subjects while learning them so I end up doing relatively well anyway.

Engineering is definitely about building on foundations though (especially Civil YEEAAAHHHH) - higher courses are often a bunch of revision of foundation stuff and then adding more complex things on top. The worse you do early on, the more you start having to catch up in later courses. It's a horrible cycle to get stuck in, but the good news is you can get out of it, and if you don't get into it to begin with then you'll find you can get through uni quite easily (well, you know, easier than the cram notes and forget people can...)

 

[D94]

If you don't like the content, it will be just cram everything and then forget everything right after the exam. Most of the algebra topics I've forgotten already, but I remember all the calculus topics since I reckon they were more interesting. I think most engineering students cram and then forget, but to be fair, we have a 3 month break - most students will have forgotten many concepts they've learned during this period.

 

[RazorICE]

If you don't like the content, it will be just cram everything and then forget everything right after the exam. Most of the algebra topics I've forgotten already, but I remember all the calculus topics since I reckon they were more interesting. I think most engineering students cram and then forget, but to be fair, we have a 3 month break - most students will have forgotten many concepts they've learned during this period.

You start remembering a lot of the foundation stuff the more higher level courses you do.

Had you asked me in second year if I remembered a single thing about first year maths, I would have said "I did first year maths?". Yet now, having done subjects requiring linear algebra and shit tons of partial differentiation, I know that stuff like the back of my hand. The aerodynamics course built on the knowledge we gained in fluid mechanics which in turn built somewhat on thermodynamics, so now the various principles of energy, conservation, sexy Bernoulli equations, things like that are all fresh in my mind, even though I did those courses 1-2 years ago.

And even though you might not remember exact equations after having done courses, you'll be able to remember general concepts, names of formulae, their applicability and caveats, and so on.

Studying the proper (non-cramming) way is a definite improvement though, as your knowledge retention goes up significantly.