How Seriously... (2 Viewers)

[kurt.physics]

How Seriously should i take getting questions wrong in the Cambridge textbook. For example, in say anyone excersize i will probably get 85-90% of all the questions i did right. Some questions i must do over to understand and some take me quite a while but eventually they click, and some i cant get like the last ones mainly.

Should i take it very seriously if i want to do well in Ext 1?

How many of your schools use Cambridge as the main text or is the main text for Ext 1 "Maths in Focus"

 

[wrxsti]

I used a 30 year old "Jones and Couchman Book"
which had very easy questions in it.

Textbook means nothing.

If you want to go really well in Ext Math Do Lots of trial papers and past HSC papers.

 

[kurt.physics]

I used a 30 year old "Jones and Couchman Book"
which had very easy questions in it.

Textbook means nothing.

If you want to go really well in Ext Math Do Lots of trial papers and past HSC papers.

Thanks for the tip.

I also have a 43 year old text that im using along with MIF and Cambridge. Its really good, its got heaps of permutations and combinations and other good stuff. Its called "Pure Mathematics: A First Course", i found it in the school library! It covers alot! of Calculus in detail, explaining alot, and the binomial theorem.

Thanks,

P.S. Do you reckon that those three books would cover all the preliminary Extension 1 math work.

 

[Iruka]

That all depends on what your goal is. Are you just trying to get good marks or do you actually want to learn some mathematics?

The NSW syllabus only represents a fraction of the mathematics that you could learn, and Cambridge has a lot of material that goes well beyond the syllabus. This is great if you want to learn some interesting maths but superfluous if you are only aiming for high marks.

 

[kurt.physics]

I want to learn new stuff and yet at the same time learn all the syllabus for the course. I dont know what the syllabus is, so im just doing all of MIF and Most of the Cambridge. Do you know where i could find the syllabus outline for Ext1 math

 

[undalay]

You can find the syllabus in the board of studies website.

There's little to be gained from questions which you can do correctly the first time around. The questions in which you can't do/make mistakes are where you learn.

 

[kurt.physics]

I just looked at our schools outline for the syllabus, it claims that parametric representation is part of the prelim syallabus, does anyone know of any textbooks that have that?

 

[undalay]

I just looked at our schools outline for the syllabus, it claims that parametric representation is part of the prelim syallabus, does anyone know of any textbooks that have that?

Cambridge 3unit yr 11.

Inside the parabola topic

 

[kurt.physics]

Thanks, got that all sorted, good. But one question, my school thing claims there will be a yearly and half-yearly exam, is the yearly exam at the end of the preliminary "year" or the actual end of the year?

 

[undalay]

Prelim year.

 

[kurt.physics]

Thanks, and also, if your up to it. Im kinda stuck on this question from the cambridge text, its in 1C Q7r its as follows

Factorise fully

x⁴ - x² -2x -1

Thanks, ive tried almost everything, so could you show me how to do it please

 

[undalay]

Thanks, and also, if your up to it. Im kinda stuck on this question from the cambridge text, its in 1C Q7r its as follows

Factorise fully

x⁴ - x² -2x -1

Thanks, ive tried almost everything, so could you show me how to do it please

You see the latter half is a square.
x⁴ - (x² +2x +1)
x⁴ - (x +1)²
Difference of 2 squares.
(x²-x-1)(x²+x+1)

 

[kurt.physics]

Ah, thanks alot for that

 

[Triple777ER]

Also make sure you get hold of quite a few pre 1990's HSC papers. This is because a lot of them are challenging and many exams which your school might conduct are composed of them. So add the pre 1990's HSC papers to your list. I have a few of them, i can scan a few and send them if you want. Just PM me.

Good luck

 

[kurt.physics]

I just have one more question im stuck on undalay,

Factorise

a⁴ + a²b² + b⁴ <script type="text/javascript">vbmenu_register("postmenu_3292727", true dd*** d
</script>

 

[Iruka]

Hint: a^4 + a^2b^2 +b^4 = a^4 + 2a^2b^2 + b^4 - a^2b^2

Btw, you may find the book "Algebra" by I.M. Gelfand and A Shen interesting to read. Its about high school mathematics but it isn't a textbook. It is written by mathematicians rather than school teachers and is actually entertaining to read. They also have a book on trigonometry which is quite good, too.

 

[roadrage75]

a^4 + (a^2)(b^2) + b^4 = a^4 + 2(a^2)(b^2) + b^4 -(a^2)(b^2)
= a^4 + 2(ab)^2 + b^4 -(ab)^2
= (a^2 + b^2)^2 -(ab)^2
= (a^2 + b^2 + ab)(a^2 + b^2 -ab)

 

[kurt.physics]

thanks, god, there so easy after you get that

thankyou

EDIT: I got the last question right in Cambridge Ex 1C, easy... thanks to you's

 

[Omium]

Also make sure you get hold of quite a few pre 1990's HSC papers. This is because a lot of them are challenging and many exams which your school might conduct are composed of them. So add the pre 1990's HSC papers to your list. I have a few of them, i can scan a few and send them if you want. Just PM me.

Good luck

Nah personally I found the pre 1990 Papers VERY EASY, The Final questions were very straight forward.

From 2000-2006 There are very good final questions.

Edit: PRAY TO GOD YOU DONT GET A 3unit HSC LIKE 2006 !

 

[kurt.physics]

Thanks everyone, real good stuff