Dropped from 2 unit to General 4 wks b4 exams (1 Viewer)

[pussy_cat]

Hey, I know, I know.... Im crazy.
However, General Maths is easier than 2 unit, trust me. Plus even if I dont study for general Im plannin on at least 60's and in 2 unit I was lookin at 30's or 40's! Anyways I was just wondering if anyone can give me any hints on studying or anything at all, I would really appreciate it!
Plus, those graphics calculator thingys, do i really need to know how to use them or can I get by? Thanx

 

[Comrade nathan]

I did that at the start of term two, and i used the same work ethic and i got 55 in trial. So if you dropped down because you were lazy then think again about that 60.

 

[Happeninchick]

Hey!

I've never even taken a graphics calculator into a maths exam and I've always got a band 6 for each assessment, so I am guessing it isn't nessecary to have a graphics calculator. We've only ever used scientific calculators. There will probably only be like 1 or 2 questions on gradients and linear sketching, so everything is done by hand... basically! You can definately get by.

Ummm, coming from 2 unit, you should easily understand a lot of the questions. BUt don't be too fooled by the way in which to do some questions. Like probability, for instance, would be one of the worst topics to understand, because there is only like basic tree diagrams and expectation. I always think there is a major trick to them and try working them out with hard equations and really looking beyond what is really there. Think of the simplist way possible... hehe So I would suggest going over that topic a lot.

It would be good to read through the course topics I have listed here. They continue from the pre-liminary to the HSC. Be prepared for a Preliminary topic to be squeezed into the exam. They say that they can include up to 30% preliminary work - but I do think that is just like basic algebraic equations, expanding and simplifying etc.

Preliminary Course
Financial Mathematics
FM1: Earning money
FM2: Investing money
FM3: Taxation
Data Analysis
DA1: Statistics and society
DA2: Data collection and sampling
DA3: Displaying single data sets
DA4: Summary statistics
Measurement
M1: Units of measurement
M2: Applications of area and volume
M3: Similarity of two-dimensional figures
M4: Right-angled triangles
Probability
PB1: The language of chance
PB2: Relative frequency and probability
Algebraic Modelling
AM1: Basic algebraic skills
AM2: Modelling linear relationships

HSC Course
Financial Mathematics
FM4: Credit and borrowing
FM5: Annuities and loan repayments
FM6: Depreciation
Data Analysis
DA5: Interpreting sets of data
DA6: The normal distribution
DA7: Correlation
Measurement
M5: Further applications of area and volume
M6: Applications of trigonometry
M7: Spherical geometry
Probability
PB3: Multi-stage events
PB4: Applications of probability
Algebraic Modelling
AM3: Algebraic skills and techniques
AM4: Modelling linear and non-linear relationships

If you visit http://hsc.csu.edu.au/maths/#118037 you can click on any of the topic links on General Mathematics and they explain and elaborate on each topic.

Try to get a hold of practice papers. Especially past papers. If you haven't got a hold of any, I have included the 2002 HSC paper http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/hsc_exams/hsc2002exams/pdf_doc/mathemat_gen_02.pdf and the 2003 paper http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/hsc_exams/hsc2003exams/pdf_doc/mathematics_general_03.pdf

If you are needing any more papers, there may be some more listed at http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/hsc_exams/ but don't worry about the 1995 - 2000 papers, because the maths system changed slightly after 2000 ish.

I suggest getting a hold of the formula sheet (found on the last page of the past papers) and really understanding the way in which each formula is used. Especially financial. All the annuities formulas are used at specific times. For example, Credit cards utilise the Compound Interest formula. Flat Rate interest is the same as Simple interest. Reducing balance loans are used in the 'Present value of an annuity. I'm not sure what you may already know from 2 unit so I may be telling you a lot of stuff you already know! hehe

My advice is to probably think SIMPLER. Like in comparison to 2 unit, the entire course is more basic ways of figuring things out. If you have 2 unit formulas to working things out nice and fast - go for it. Just so long as it gives you the right answer, the markers don't mind the way you work it out. Show all of your nessecary working so they can tell what formulas you maybe be using differently to others.

I'm not sure what else you may want to know, but feel free to ask anything else! GOODLUCK FOR EVERYTHING! Hope that helps...

 

[malkin86]

Graphics calculators are too hard to use... you're better off without them.

 

[Happeninchick]

Majorly agreeing there malkin! HEHE I remember learning how to use them in grade 10, but they were more time consuming than probably using a rock and chisel! haha OVER EXAGGERATING PEEPS!

 

[grk_styl]

Majorly agreeing there malkin! HEHE I remember learning how to use them in grade 10, but they were more time consuming than probably using a rock and chisel! haha OVER EXAGGERATING PEEPS!

Not necessarily. We were taught to use the graphics in year 11 and now we're all wizards at them! :uhhuh: They're great because they enable you to do this five times quicker than drawing a graph for example. And they're especially good for financial maths. But I guess unless you're taught them in depth, then they wouldn't be much good to you. Plus, so close to the exams? You wouldn't be able to learn how to use the whole calc. maybe just the basics.

That said, heaps of schools doing gen. maths DONT use the graphics and still perform just as well as those schools who use the graphics.

 

[pussy_cat]

Hey thanx heaps happinin chick, great advice there. As to the guy who said something about lazyness, thats not my problem. I had trouble understanding the concepts in 2 unit, some of them are just stupid - like who needs to know the area of a particular slope on graph? Yeah like il be sitting one day looking at the curve of something and go 'Hey, i really want to find the area between those two points' anyways, its not that i didnt try in 2 unit, i did. Its just that it took me till my trial exam to realise how bad i was actually doing. I even got free tutoring from my school and everything trying to understand but hey, if thats how u wanna be.

 

[hfis]

How the heck did you drop down four weeks prior to the exams? I tried to, and was told that the deadline for such changes had passed.

And now, I'm looking at scoring 30 (at most) in advanced. Joy.

 

[dark`secrets]

dont kid yourself that its all that easy because i know many people have been struggling witht the language and stuff.

you've still got to put in the hard yard!

graphx calcs you dont really need them

 

[glitterfairy]

dropped from 3U to General at about the start or this year or end of this year, can't remember.

In my first assessment, with no study, I got about 80, but you have to bear in mind that I'm naturally more suited to General that the Advanced course. I'm an english freak, so anything with lots of words and pictures suits me just fine

General might be easier in the sense that you don't have to freak out about pronumerals and forumals, but everything's worded differently. Also, there's a lot on "maths in the real world" stuff like annuities, credit cards and various gemoetry things that you will probably NOT know how to do, and whilst you do get a formula sheet, it's not going to help you very much if you don't actually know how to use them or how to recognise situations where you need a specific one.

My advice is to do past papers, and lots of them! You'll quickly find weak spots where you haven't learn something yet (and for the record, I did Permutations and Combinations in 3U, but you wouldn't have. There's something you need to learn, and it's NOT ON THE FORMULA SHEET! NOT ALL FORMULAE ARE ON THE SHEET!) and from there you can cram your little heart out...

Best wishes!

 

[pussy_cat]

Hey yeah, thanx ppls, the whole wording of the course just suits me better. Dealing with real problems is much easier i've found.
Also you could have dropped down to general maths but your school probably didnt want to let you. You can drop down right up until the day before the exam i was told (not that you would) by a few of my teachers and they all thought it would be alright.