Recommended textbooks and study tips for ext 2? (1 Viewer)

[rumbleroar]

The thread title is pretty self explanatory!

Going into year 12 next term and would like some tips on getting through 4 unit (i.e. what you would've done if you could redo the course, etc.), as well as which textbooks were helpful for studying.

Thanks in advance

 

[braintic]

The thread title is pretty self explanatory!

Going into year 12 next term and would like some tips on getting through 4 unit (i.e. what you would've done if you could redo the course, etc.), as well as which textbooks were helpful for studying.

Thanks in advance

Tip on getting through 4 unit: Listen to your teacher

 

[VBN2470]

Best way to study 4U is heaps of questions and practice. Towards the end of the course you will find most questions are very similar i.e. standard textbook questions but the hard questions can be very difficult (especially last questions of every HSC paper). Textbooks are not enough though, all trial papers you can get your hands on should be done as well (at least attempt hard questions if you want to save time and skip easy ones). Best ones to do are probably:

SBHS
JRAHS
CSSA (must do as most school like to use old CSSA questions from 1984 - 1999 in their trials/assessment tasks)
SYDNEY GRAMMAR SCHOOL
INDEPENDENT
MOST HSC

More important, just try to get deep with the concepts because a lot of difficult questions require you to use concepts from vastly broad topics and this can be hard if you are not familiar with simple concepts from the 2U/3U course. Doing these papers will simply get you exposed to these difficult questions and may help you develop your thinking skills for 4U. This is because sometimes questions require you to do stuff you would NEVER think of doing therefore doing a lot of practice would help.

MUST get books:

Cambridge 4U Maths (Arnold & Arnold)
Terry Lee Advanced Mathematics 7th Edition (blue book) (probably the best one )


Optional Books to buy include:

Revised 4 Unit Course for Mathematics Extension 2 (Jim Coroneos - blue/white book) - This book has a good range of difficult of questions but the font used and presentation overall in my opinion isn't great. Way too compact. I didn't get it by the way.
S.K. Patel Maths Extension 2 2nd Edition (blue book)
HSC Maths Extension 2 Practice Questions by Topic (blue book - Jones and Fisher)

Good luck

 

[braintic]

MUST get books: Cambridge 4U Maths (Arnold & Arnold)

The new Cambridge by the Grammar guys is MUCH better than the Arnold Cambridge.

 

[rumbleroar]

Best way to study 4U is heaps of questions and practice. Towards the end of the course you will find most questions are very similar i.e. standard textbook questions but the hard questions can be very difficult (especially last questions of every HSC paper). Textbooks are not enough though, all trial papers you can get your hands on should be done as well (at least attempt hard questions if you want to save time and skip easy ones). Best ones to do are probably:

SBHS
JRAHS
CSSA (must do as most school like to use old CSSA questions from 1984 - 1999 in their trials/assessment tasks)
SYDNEY GRAMMAR SCHOOL
INDEPENDENT
MOST HSC

More important, just try to get deep with the concepts because a lot of difficult questions require you to use concepts from vastly broad topics and this can be hard if you are not familiar with simple concepts from the 2U/3U course. Doing these papers will simply get you exposed to these difficult questions and may help you develop your thinking skills for 4U. This is because sometimes questions require you to do stuff you would NEVER think of doing therefore doing a lot of practice would help.

MUST get books:

Cambridge 4U Maths (Arnold & Arnold)
Terry Lee Advanced Mathematics 7th Edition (blue book) (probably the best one )


Optional Books to buy include:

Revised 4 Unit Course for Mathematics Extension 2 (Jim Coroneos - blue/white book) - This book has a good range of difficult of questions but the font used and presentation overall in my opinion isn't great. Way too compact. I didn't get it by the way.
S.K. Patel Maths Extension 2 2nd Edition (blue book)
HSC Maths Extension 2 Practice Questions by Topic (blue book - Jones and Fisher)

Good luck

Wow, thanks for your response!!

I am definitely going to do trial papers and stuff, thanks for your list of sources and schools. Do you know where I can get the CSSA ones from? Only because I know they would be harder to acquire.

And thank you so much for the textbook list. My school uses Cambridge, so it's already on my list

 

[rumbleroar]

The new Cambridge by the Grammar guys is MUCH better than the Arnold Cambridge.

Do you know the names of the specific authors? I did a quick Google and the Arnold Cambridge is from 2012, unless there's already a newer edition

 

[Makematics]

The new Cambridge by the Grammar guys is MUCH better than the Arnold Cambridge.

there's a new 4u cambridge? is it by bill pender and the cambridge 3U crew?

 

[braintic]

there's a new 4u cambridge? is it by bill pender and the cambridge 3U crew?

I don't have a copy at home. I can't recall the authors but I don't think Pender is one of them.
Actually I'm not 100% sure it was put out by Cambridge in the end - though I know that was the original intention. I have a feeling that schools might be buying the PDF and the rights direct from the authors, then printing the books themselves. So I can't be too sure if there are actually any hard-copy books for sale. When I go back to work I'll check the details.

 

[SpiralFlex]

I don't have a copy at home. I can't recall the authors but I don't think Pender is one of them.
Actually I'm not 100% sure it was put out by Cambridge in the end - though I know that was the original intention. I have a feeling that schools might be buying the PDF and the rights direct from the authors, then printing the books themselves. So I can't be too sure if there are actually any hard-copy books for sale. When I go back to work I'll check the details.

The book isn't by Pender, however there is a rumored Bill Pender version according to Carrotsticks.

 

[VBN2470]

Do you know the names of the specific authors? I did a quick Google and the Arnold Cambridge is from 2012, unless there's already a newer edition

I could probably send you most of the papers through e-mail or something.

 

[Fred2013]

Get a well reputable tutor e.g. Terry Lee
I personally prefer 1on1 tutoring though - to speed through the content in depth and giving you tricks and tips
After that just do one trial every other day leading up to your exams
Start with Sydney Grammar or Sydney Boys
Then move on to CSSA and Independent
Then finally the HSC.

 

[rumbleroar]

I could probably send you most of the papers through e-mail or something.

Really?! That would be great!

 

[rumbleroar]

Get a well reputable tutor e.g. Terry Lee
I personally prefer 1on1 tutoring though - to speed through the content in depth and giving you tricks and tips
After that just do one trial every other day leading up to your exams
Start with Sydney Grammar or Sydney Boys
Then move on to CSSA and Independent
Then finally the HSC.

Thanks for that, I've tried 1 on 1 for maths ext and it didn't work out to well. Would you do any other trial papers?

 

[HAX0R]

There is a new edition for the 4 Unit made by the people who made the 3 unit book. It is currently used for the 4 unit students at Grammar, and according to my maths teacher, has not been published. (I go to Sydney Grammar) It will be released soon, I'd suspect.

 

[HAX0R]

There will be, hasn't been published yet. However, the 4 unit maths students at Grammar are already using them.

 

[Drongoski]

Don't see why it would get published unless there are many years left to the current 4U curriculum'If the current 4U syllabus get replaced, then it would be hard to recover the cost and investment in publishing thed book, also bearing in mind the relatively small market size. I guess for every student doing 4U, there are more than 5 doing General or 2U (Advanced). Still, it would be nice to have the book available. Maybe Grammar has lots of money, and can make it available or have it published.

 

[Fred2013]

Thanks for that, I've tried 1 on 1 for maths ext and it didn't work out to well. Would you do any other trial papers?

Well if you manage to finish them all then do King's trials. If that wasn't enough, do some hard questions from ruse. But of course, do your own school's exams!

 

[rumbleroar]

There will be, hasn't been published yet. However, the 4 unit maths students at Grammar are already using them.

Is there a possible PDF copy floating around?

 

[HAX0R]

Not that I can see.

 

[angelarhhx]

The new Cambridge by the Grammar guys is MUCH better than the Arnold Cambridge.

do you have a copy of the grammar cambridge textbook pdf version?