A Comparison of Textbooks

[hollyy.]

maths in focus - green/purple yay.
but i had a dead set awesome teacher.

[counterman]

hey, i know you can buy Terry Lee text books online but are there any stores in Sydney that you can purchase them, such as Essentials of Mathematics ??

[sungkwo]

Hello, I was just wondering if anyone used books by John Smith? I've used one of his Year 10 books (100 mini Year 10 exams) and I really like found it useful as it contained some challenging questions, and had worked solutions which showed some shifty methods of solving some questions. I am thinking of buying either 2 or three unit HSC Practice Questions by Topic or 100 Mini HSC's.

[Brontecat]

Excel
+ Some challenging questions
+ Has worked solutions
- Just a textbook with less questions to practice on and more examples
- Wouldn't advise for cramming
- May have many mistakes (so watch out!)

Excel is my textbook - i like how it has lots of examples and shows working in the answers and if i want more practice i just ask the teacher for worksheets

[Xcelz]

I wouldn't recommend using Maths in Focus by itself. I think that you need to compliment it with harder questions from other textbooks such as Fitzpatrick and Cambridge. Or you can just use one of these harder textbooks instead of MIF. (My recommendation.)

The textbook that I am using now is Fitzpatrick (New Senior Mathematics).

After everybody in our class used MIF for the preliminary course. Everybody failed the yearly test. Our school bought the exam from the Catholic Schools organisation I think. Note - People in our class could do all the questions in MIF and still failed.

[0hNivlek]

Our main text book is MIF for HSC while we used Jones & Couchman in Prelims. My teacher hates MIF LOL.

[Air Jordan]

For our 2U course we use Fitzpatrick and our teacher gives us Ext 1 questions from the MIF book.

[gabgab]

My school uses maths in focus for 2u and 3u. It's all i have experienced in relation to HSC maths, and of course I didnt realise that it wasnt as good as others on the market.

stressing. some questions i find difficult, and now im thinking that i am screwed.

oh dear.

I use excel books also, to vary the questions i use, but up until now i thought the maths in focus text book was sufficient.

i dont know now..

[vtfan]

Which Excel book is better and more helpful? Do they both explain solutions to the same depth, step-by-step?

Fast Track Step-by-Step Study Guide
or
HSC Mathematics Study Guide Year 12

Your advice is much appreciated.

[lyounamu]

Which Excel book is better and more helpful? Do they both explain solutions to the same depth, step-by-step?

Fast Track Step-by-Step Study Guide
or
HSC Mathematics Study Guide Year 12

Your advice is much appreciated.

I would go for 2nd one for sure

[vtfan]

Ok, would that be just because it has much more practice questions and papers?

[Pyramid]

A quick urgent question folks:

Currently I have:

Fitzpatrick 2U
Fitzpatrick MX1

I'm doing 4U and would like to purchase a Cambridge textbook -- Does the 4U book include 2U and Ext1 content???

(I know that the 3U has 2U content)

Also considering getting Terry Lee for 4U. Does this only have Ext2 content???

Thanks

[ninetypercent]

A quick urgent question folks:

Currently I have:

Fitzpatrick 2U
Fitzpatrick MX1

I'm doing 4U and would like to purchase a Cambridge textbook -- Does the 4U book include 2U and Ext1 content???

(I know that the 3U has 2U content)

Also considering getting Terry Lee for 4U. Does this only have Ext2 content???

Thanks

For both your questions, yes, only Ext 2 content, but ext 2 content also incorporates harder 3u

[Pyramid]

For both your questions, yes, only Ext 2 content, but ext 2 content also incorporates harder 3u

Oh, so you mean that both Cambridge 4U and Terry Lee only have Ext2 + harder Ext1?

So is my best bet to get 3U Cambridge + either of the above Ext2 books?

Thanks!

[mioumiou]

For the past paper books, I would suggest buying the Coroneos Past paper books rather than Success One. As this has been said before, Success One's solutions aren't that great. You learn more stuff in the Coroneos book. Phoneix is another good book for practising different types of questions that may come up in the HSC exams.

[Fadee]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mathematics

Fitzpatrick 2u
+ This book is great. It's good at all the areas: Good diagrams, good explanations, many question to practice with.
+ The questions are the strength of this text. They cover the entire spectrum of skills which students require and lead you into the hard questions progressively.
+ The harder questions often involve interesting skills which are not taught at a 2u level but would be classified as "component B", of which the HSC must comprise at least 20%. Thus it is worth your while to try these questions.
+ Of all the textbooks, this one is the easiest to cram with.
+ Specimen papers at the end of the book for revision
- No worked solutions.

Another disadvantage of Fitzpatrick 2U is that the questions are all over the place, it doesn't go from easy to hard, you could get the hardest question at q1 .

I find that a disadvantage.

[100percentdux]

Essentials of Mathematics, book 2
+ Worked out solutions
+ Good questions

Which book is this for 3u nit?
whose the author

[slyhunter]

Essentials of Mathematics, book 2
+ Worked out solutions
+ Good questions

Which book is this for 3u nit?
whose the author

Terry Lee.

The newest edition is formally known as "Fundamental Mathematics"

[big_bang344]

Can anyone please explain to me the difference between the yellow fitzpatrick book and the green one? I know the yellow one is for 2 unit maths and the green one is for 3 unit, but when i read the contents, the 3 unit book (green) seems just to be a follow up book to the yellow, adding in the few chapters that the yellow one doesn't have. That's what i think but i'm not entirely sure, that's why i'm asking. :L

[SpiralFlex]

There are three Fitzpatrick textbooks, Yellow for 2 Unit Years 11 and 12, Green for 3 Unit Years 11 and 12 and Orange for 4 Unit Year 12. The 3 unit book if you like, is the "follow up" from the 2 Unit book.

[janiie]

Hi, I'm doing 2 unit maths year 12
I currently have cambridge 2u, excel(the newer one)
would these 2 be fine or should i get fitzpatrick or coroneos as well

[SpiralFlex]

Hi, I'm doing 2 unit maths year 12
I currently have cambridge 2u, excel(the newer one)
would these 2 be fine or should i get fitzpatrick or coroneos as well

Do some past papers since there's about 2 weeks left until the HSC. That is to say if you have covered the content.

[janiie]

Do some past papers since there's about 2 weeks left until the HSC. That is to say if you have covered the content.

oops. sry for the confusion meant i was beginning year 12 soon and was wondering of i should be considering buying fitzpatrick as extra textbook to work through throughout the year or would that just be unnecessary because the other 2 text books would suffice. thanks for the reply though (Y)

[SpiralFlex]

oops. sry for the confusion meant i was beginning year 12 soon and was wondering of i should be considering buying fitzpatrick as extra textbook to work through throughout the year or would that just be unnecessary because the other 2 text books would suffice. thanks for the reply though (Y)

Your account says you graduated in 2009. I am assuming this account was original a sibling's. Prehaps your sister's? Am I correct? Also 2-3 text would be more than enough. Past papers are the key for success. If you send a kind PM I might give you some. I guess Fitzpatrick is another good edition to your mathematical collections. But in all seriousness you don't need that many. I will say what I have said for the last week. Textbooks do not emulate past examination paper question styles. Good luck.

[Parvee]

One questions, what's the best 4u textbook to learn the basics?