So it's likely that Conics won't be taken out of the syllabus anytime soon? (1 Viewer)

[emilios]

Theres been talk over the past couple years that Conics was in the process of bring removed from the 4U syllabus in favour of Statstics, which would useful for pretty much all maths inclined university degrees. And come on let's face it, it's not like Conics is the most enthralling 4u topic out there anyway.

So any news? Google yields no answers but my friends are saying their tutors mentioned something about it.

 

[mysterymarkplz]

I've always enjoyed parametric equations of the parabola and the locus so naturally i enjoyed conics.

 

[unforlornedhope]

Conics is still in this years hsc


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[Trebla]

There have been proposed versions of a new syllabus where Conics was omitted but these have been put on hold due to the national curriculum

 

[RealiseNothing]

Conics > stats

 

[braintic]

The Australian curriculum will eventually come in - it is inevitable. And there is no Conics in the approved Australian syllabus. The only way Conics will stay is if the writers of the NSW version of the syllabus decide that the lower levels of maths are too light-on with work and move some Specialist Maths topics down to the lower levels, leaving room for additional topics at the top level. Personally, I wouldn't miss Conics - I see it as the least useful of all the Ext 2 topics - just algebra for the sake of algebra.

 

[hit patel]

Conics > statistics > harder ext1. And well what would you use combinations and permutations or circle geo or inequalities for ? Conic sections are used for suspension bridges, astronomy, medical imaging, medical, lenses, architecture, hour glass , navigation, satellite communication, aeronautics, economical manufacturing, and parabolas are also types of conic sections which are used in almost everything from lens imaging to the street safety mirrors. So actually they are probably thinking better of it

 

[braintic]

Conics > statistics > harder ext1. And well what would you use combinations and permutations or circle geo or inequalities for ? Conic sections are used for suspension bridges, astronomy, medical imaging, medical, lenses, architecture, hour glass , navigation, satellite communication, aeronautics, economical manufacturing, and parabolas are also types of conic sections which are used in almost everything from lens imaging to the street safety mirrors. So actually they are probably thinking better of it

Conic Sections might be used for those things. But not the algebra intensive stuff we do in the Ext 2 course. Those application would be more about modelling, in the same way we model growth and decay with exponential functions, and periodic behaviour with circular functions. Other than the basic equations of the graphs (including parametric equations) and the first lesson on describing how the curves relate to cones, the rest is algebra for the sake of algebra. That is, once you've learned a few basic formulae (which could easily be taught at a lower level of maths), the rest is just mastering all of the algebraic tricks that arise in exam questions. And if that is what we want, there are much more useful algebra intensive topics that could be taught.

Combinatorics is just a small part of the much larger topic of Discrete Mathematics. Unlike Conics, it is chock full of new and useful concepts, one application being in computing. Yes, I see Circle Geometry in the same light as Conics - a set of useful and interesting rules which you learn at the start, followed by an endless set of boring proofs which no-one will set out in that form ever again. I guess the most useful thing you learn in Circle Geometry is the ability to reason mathematically, but there are much more useful ways that could be tested. Inequalities is only a short topic, and it teaches algebraic skills (as opposed to algebraic tricks), as well as algebraic reasoning which is sadly lacking from the rest of the course. Statistics might be absolutely dull, but it is definitely the most useful (and most used) topic of all the ones you mentioned.

 

[QZP]

Conic Sections might be used for those things. But not the algebra intensive stuff we do in the Ext 2 course. Those application would be more about modelling, in the same way we model growth and decay with exponential functions, and periodic behaviour with circular functions. Other than the basic equations of the graphs (including parametric equations) and the first lesson on describing how the curves relate to cones, the rest is algebra for the sake of algebra. That is, once you've learned a few basic formulae (which could easily be taught at a lower level of maths), the rest is just mastering all of the algebraic tricks that arise in exam questions. And if that is what we want, there are much more useful algebra intensive topics that could be taught.

Combinatorics is just a small part of the much larger topic of Discrete Mathematics. Unlike Conics, it is chock full of new and useful concepts, one application being in computing. Yes, I see Circle Geometry in the same light as Conics - a set of useful and interesting rules which you learn at the start, followed by an endless set of boring proofs which no-one will set out in that form ever again. I guess the most useful thing you learn in Circle Geometry is the ability to reason mathematically, but there are much more useful ways that could be tested. Inequalities is only a short topic, and it teaches algebraic skills (as opposed to algebraic tricks), as well as algebraic reasoning which is sadly lacking from the rest of the course. Statistics might be absolutely dull, but it is definitely the most useful (and most used) topic of all the ones you mentioned.

What's the difference?

 

[Shadowdude]

Conics > statistics > harder ext1. And well what would you use combinations and permutations or circle geo or inequalities for ? Conic sections are used for suspension bridges, astronomy, medical imaging, medical, lenses, architecture, hour glass , navigation, satellite communication, aeronautics, economical manufacturing, and parabolas are also types of conic sections which are used in almost everything from lens imaging to the street safety mirrors. So actually they are probably thinking better of it

but that's all... applied maths


More Pure Mathematics, please. Or statistics.

 

[emilios]

My point was more about what's going to be more useful in Uni, not about what's fun (though I will admit I have a personal bias against Conics) or has the most applications to the real world. Especially in recent months, universities have been complaining that there is a mismatch between what is taught at HS and Uni. Stats is basically everywhere, from finance and economics to engineering and science, and I just find it strange that it's completely abandoned after year 10. There's a few other things I'm not a fan of in EX2, such as some of the harder Complex Numbers, but I see the usefulness of it and its potential future applications in Uni, so I can understand the merit of having it in the course.

 

[Sy123]

I think Conics should be in the 3U course being learnt in Y12 as an extension of Parametric Representation. It should replace the small topics in 3U that currently make up 1-2 marks each in the exams at the moment. (i.e. Simple trigonometric identities, Ratios, Angle between lines, Polynomial approximation etc)


While we're at it move Graphs to 2U, teach Implicit differentiation in 3U and in the gap left by Graphs and Conics replace it with Linear Algebra.

Move basic Mechanics to the 3U course again, and let 'hard' mechanics come up in Harder 3U for the 4U exam. In the gap left by Mechanics allow for an expansion into deeper elements of Probability theory or Combinatorics

That's what I reckon anyway

 

[anomalousdecay]

I wish we had done linear algebra in MX2 because its the only thing in my current math course I haven't actually started before (the rest is the same as the other components of 4U).

 

[tywebb]

So it's likely that ANYTHING won't be taken out of the syllabus anytime soon?

There has been a lot of criticism that ACARA's national senior syllabus is inferior the the current NSW syllabus (some of which actually came from the Board of Studies itself). So any change is likely to take quite some time to implement.

The current thinking is that it is going to be more about what (if anything) from the national curriculum will be included in the NSW syllabus, rather than what will be taken out. In a letter to principals dated Feb 14, 2014, the president of the BOSTES wrote

'In relation to senior secondary syllabuses for English, Mathematics, Science and History, BOSTES is currently examining how Australian curriculum content can be effectively adapted and incorporated into the NSW senior secondary curriculum structure. I can assure schools and teachers that any new syllabuses will be subject to the regular processes of consultation, development, and implementation by BOSTES.'

 

[rumbleroar]

lol they need to keep it in
if i suffer from doing conics, so do future years

 

[hit patel]

I think Conics should be in the 3U course being learnt in Y12 as an extension of Parametric Representation. It should replace the small topics in 3U that currently make up 1-2 marks each in the exams at the moment. (i.e. Simple trigonometric identities, Ratios, Angle between lines, Polynomial approximation etc)


While we're at it move Graphs to 2U, teach Implicit differentiation in 3U and in the gap left by Graphs and Conics replace it with Linear Algebra.

Move basic Mechanics to the 3U course again, and let 'hard' mechanics come up in Harder 3U for the 4U exam. In the gap left by Mechanics allow for an expansion into deeper elements of Probability theory or Combinatorics

That's what I reckon anyway

I agree with most of it except Probability theory.

 

[RealiseNothing]

I agree with most of it except Probability theory.

lolwat

If anything there should be more combinatorics/probability. Maybe include some elements of set theory and graph theory.

 

[braintic]

lolwat

If anything there should be more combinatorics/probability. Maybe include some elements of set theory and graph theory.

Yep, Combinatorics is the most logical of all topics. Perhaps they should even bring in Generating Functions (requiring Taylor Series).