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Looks like the uni is trying to wind back half the changes that they introduced into the academic calendar this year.

One word: LaTeX.

I have never used a tutor. I think self learning is better if you can do it. I think you acquire life-long skills in organizing yourself and managing your own learning that way. You kinda learn how to learn, I guess. Also, it is a big boost for your self esteem and self confidence...

I often see electrocuted bats hanging off the power lines around Kingsford. I think there was one just near the bus stop on Anzac Parade sometime last year.

Commonly used abbreviations are perfectly acceptable. Don't go around trying to make up your own, that's all. If you scroll down towards the bottom of this MANSW webpage you see the entry from the HSC markers concerning geometry abbreviations http://www.mansw.nsw.edu.au/whatsnew/index.html

Is L the point of intersection of KP and BD? If so, then you prove that triangle BKL is similar to triangle KPA, using the fact that PCKA and CBDA are cyclic quadrilaterals. Angle BKE = angle PKA (vert opp) then you just have to show that angle KBE = angle APK so the other angles are equal...

MANSW publishes a book of worked solutions of the last 10 years' HSC papers. http://www.mansw.nsw.edu.au/publications/hsc-solution-books.htm

That's a pity that your school doesn't offer it. Can you do it by yourself via distance ed of something like that?

I think what you're thinking of is called the Chinese Remainder Theorem. Many of the maths comp questions are based on elementary number theory (like CRT), counting methods and Euclidean geometry.

Its true by definition. They define it that way so that most of the formulae using factorials will still work out nice. Alternately, you can think of n! being the number of ways to arrange n distinct objects in some order. In which case, if n=0, there is only one way to arrange no objects in...

Re: Maths Competition That's exactly how you do it. It's a Diophantine equation. This particular one had only one solution.

Re: Maths Competition hmm... Maple believes the minimum value of that expression is 13 which occurs at a=35sqrt(2)/17 and b=35/12.

Yes, 'tis the basis of the Remainder Theorem. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polynomial_remainder_theorem

The HSC tests your ability to learn a particular body of knowledge (the syllabus). The Maths comp is more a test of general mathematical knowledge. If you know some elementary number theory, basic Euclidean geometry, and counting methods (none of which is taught at school, usually) then the...

Better figure out the prime factorisation of 2009, then, hadn't you.

I am not quite sure exactly what you mean by general knowledge books, but there is a really nice series of books written by IM Gelfand (and various other Russian mathematicians) that are intended for high school students. You can get them on amazon...

No, its not acceleration. Acceleration is the second derivative of displacement with respect to time.

If you are consistently getting 95% of Q 1-6 correct then it is an inefficient use of your time to practise these questions. You should spend most of your study time practicing Q 8-10.

It's a locus in the Argand plane. Complex number questions just about always have a geometric interpretation as a complex number can always be thought of as a 2d vector of real numbers. If you think of it as a function of theta, where theta = arg(z), then z^2 just travels around the unit...

Am I the only person in this forum who finds the idea of maths as a spectator sport somewhat...bizarre?