Tinkin bout takin App Maths?

*Angel*

ok so i'm in 6th yr and started app maths in 5th, i no it's hard 4 sum who only start in 6th so gud luck 2 ya!

u hav 2 b gud at maths A or B is definetly a gud start and like maths (alot) and work kinda hard, it's all bout understandin then u can do ne q (well most). + a half d time u no if u got d rite answer.

i'm def glad im takin it, im tinkin im prob gonna get an A1 so points r gud

D-Generate

For those who who speak English I will attempt to translate that.

"If you are good at maths and enjoy it then you should take up Applied Maths because it is easy" or soemthing to that effect.

Anyhew I have been doing it since 4th year and finished course now so a whole year of revision ahead of me.
I am a big fan of the ol' Physics and Maths so it was not unusual for Applied Maths to become an easy subject to get a grip of.

There is quite a bit of crossover between Applied Maths and phyiscs, a lot of the mechanics course involves simple Applied Maths calculations.

Every year there is basically one question on the paper that you should avoid. Those who get A1's do not have it as one of their 6 questions generally. Part of getting an A1 in app maths is knowing which questions to pick. After doing a lot of practice on exam papers you should get the hang of knowing when not to do a question and when to definitely do it.

Q1 - L.A.M, Lots do it and as such they make it deceptively tough often. One to be avoided for me.
Q2 - Rel. Velocity, Not too bad
Q3 - Projectiles are a sweet question. Same question nearly every year except when they throw in a part involving collisions and impacts.
Q4 - Connected Particles - Piss Easy most years.
Q5 - Collisions and Impacts, I like them but a lot of people dislike the oblique collisions. 1990 or 1991 is an example of a really tough question. It involves a sphere falling on top of a stationary sphere.
Q6 - S.H.M/Circular Motion - Again I like it but lots don't, especially hte vertical circles
Q7 - Statics. It all depends on how well you understand the diagram/setup in this one. Once you get the force diagram done it is very very easy.
Q8 - Rotational Dynamics, First half is often a proof so once you learn that off you have 25 marks easy. Second half can be odd sometimes but grand most years.
Q9 - Hydrostatics, about 3/4 types of questions really. Pretty easy
Q10 - Differenciation/Integration question. If you are good at Maths then you should be able to do this easily. Easiest question on the paper.

My top questions on hte day will probably be

Q10
Q4
Q3
Q8
Q9
Q6

I will attempt as many as I can though.

And finally, remember that if you make one slip and still get an answer even thoguh it is wrong you only lose one mark. So not getting the right answer is not the end of the world. You could get every question wrong and still get the A1 easily. Its all about method, they are more generous than they are in Maths.

Young Siward

D-Generate wrote:

For those who who speak English I will attempt to translate that.

"If you are good at maths and enjoy it then you should take up Applied Maths because it is easy" or soemthing to that effect.

Anyhew I have been doing it since 4th year and finished course now so a whole year of revision ahead of me.
I am a big fan of the ol' Physics and Maths so it was not unusual for Applied Maths to become an easy subject to get a grip of.

There is quite a bit of crossover between Applied Maths and phyiscs, a lot of the mechanics course involves simple Applied Maths calculations.

Every year there is basically one question on the paper that you should avoid. Those who get A1's do not have it as one of their 6 questions generally. Part of getting an A1 in app maths is knowing which questions to pick. After doing a lot of practice on exam papers you should get the hang of knowing when not to do a question and when to definitely do it.

Q1 - L.A.M, Lots do it and as such they make it deceptively tough often. One to be avoided for me.
Q2 - Rel. Velocity, Not too bad
Q3 - Projectiles are a sweet question. Same question nearly every year except when they throw in a part involving collisions and impacts.
Q4 - Connected Particles - Piss Easy most years.
Q5 - Collisions and Impacts, I like them but a lot of people dislike the oblique collisions. 1990 or 1991 is an example of a really tough question. It involves a sphere falling on top of a stationary sphere.
Q6 - S.H.M/Circular Motion - Again I like it but lots don't, especially hte vertical circles
Q7 - Statics. It all depends on how well you understand the diagram/setup in this one. Once you get the force diagram done it is very very easy.
Q8 - Rotational Dynamics, First half is often a proof so once you learn that off you have 25 marks easy. Second half can be odd sometimes but grand most years.
Q9 - Hydrostatics, about 3/4 types of questions really. Pretty easy
Q10 - Differenciation/Integration question. If you are good at Maths then you should be able to do this easily. Easiest question on the paper.

My top questions on hte day will probably be

Q10
Q4
Q3
Q8
Q9
Q6

I will attempt as many as I can though.

And finally, remember that if you make one slip and still get an answer even thoguh it is wrong you only lose one mark. So not getting the right answer is not the end of the world. You could get every question wrong and still get the A1 easily. Its all about method, they are more generous than they are in Maths.

To be honest if you've done Applied Maths for any more than a year with a decent amount of work, you're on for an A.

Do be careful though, it's easy to be complacent for your final year and you'll be suprised how quickly it'll leave you if you don't stay sharp.

I only knew the basics with 6 weeks to go but ended up with a B1, so you've all got a great chance if you do the work now.
Having said that i think I would have got my A had I not messed up Q10. For whatever reason it just wouldn't work, and if I sat down now for 30 minutes I'd probably get it.

*Angel*

ur right if u have being taking it 4 more than a year u shud at least try 2 get an A. Although sometimes I wish it was as easy as maths is, and that Physics (which I'm only ok at) was as easy as Applied Maths. It's a tough world, any1 here taking TD? another of my favourite subjects, I really like perspectives and solids in contact, they just seem to make sense.

Ok so i kinda went off the topic, I'm gonna try 2 put the work in for App. Maths cos i really need d A, i'm hoping 2 do civil engineering next year.

D-Generate

Applied Maths is the easiest out of those three me thinks. I am going for an A1 in all three though and chemistry. Gotta love those sciences. Biology is not a proper science

PrecariousNuts

I hated biology because it is nothing but guesswork. The ecology chapters are ridiculous with their guestimates and such. However it was possibly the easiest exam I did in the leaving, I knew for certain I had an A1 as soon as I finished.

Young Siward

*Angel* wrote:

It's a tough world, any1 here taking TD? another of my favourite subjects, I really like perspectives and solids in contact, they just seem to make sense.

Ok so i kinda went off the topic, I'm gonna try 2 put the work in for App. Maths cos i really need d A, i'm hoping 2 do civil engineering next year.

Oh yeah I did TD, what option are you doing???

I had a shiiiiiiiite teacher and came out with a C1. I mean the bloke didn't do half the stuff, especially the easy things!

If you want to get an A1, you're gonna need to download the marking schemes - they'll be your biggest help. The books, as you know don't even cover half the stuff.

On Paper One, do Q1. it's always the same. Solids in Contact aren't too bad but you'll need to be good with Loci, and that's another Q. Conics are normally straightforward enough.
Lots do the Interpenetrations Q. I stayed away, they can spring a surprise on you there.

You need to be super accurate. If you check the marking schemes you'll find out what they're looking for, it is very difficult to get an A if you don't know....

*Angel*

Young Siward wrote:

Oh yeah I did TD, what option are you doing???

I had a shiiiiiiiite teacher and came out with a C1. I mean the bloke didn't do half the stuff, especially the easy things!

If you want to get an A1, you're gonna need to download the marking schemes - they'll be your biggest help. The books, as you know don't even cover half the stuff.

On Paper One, do Q1. it's always the same. Solids in Contact aren't too bad but you'll need to be good with Loci, and that's another Q. Conics are normally straightforward enough.
Lots do the Interpenetrations Q. I stayed away, they can spring a surprise on you there.

You need to be super accurate. If you check the marking schemes you'll find out what they're looking for, it is very difficult to get an A if you don't know....

Thanks i'll check out the marking scheme, im hoping and thinking i'll get an A tho ive never got less in any test/exam. Yeah my teacher doesn't work off a book he just gives us q's from exams and teaches us from them, im lucky to have a gud teacher.

I'm doin paper II B (building applications) cos thats the one we're being taught so it seems easier that way. Your right about the interprenetations its pretty easy to miss a line or mess something up, but still i always do them....its all about picturing them.

There is a new course coming in next year, and they actually get a proper book for it, thats annoyin.

Thanks again, i'll give the marking scheme a look

*Angel*

D-Generate wrote:

Applied Maths is the easiest out of those three me thinks. I am going for an A1 in all three though and chemistry. Gotta love those sciences. Biology is not a proper science

I can't believe you think App Maths is easier than maths, maths i jus do homework and i get an A, kinda crazy. Yeah i'm goin for A1's in maths, app.maths and Physics (and TD) i don't think i'll get Physics though. I don't take Biology and im glad cos it looks crap. Best of luck in getting those A1's.

rainbow kirby

If you're any good at maths and physics, applied maths is an easy A1 if you keep up with the work. And it made 1st year maths physics really easy because about a third of the course is basically the LC applied maths course.
BTW Angel, what do you want to do in college?

*Angel*

I'm hoping to do Civil Engineering in UCD, where are you doin your maths phys course, is it any gud? cos thats an option for me to but i'm pretty stuck on engineering.

rainbow kirby

I'm in UCD. 3rd mathematical science.
For engineering so far as I know you only have to do the mechanics half of the science maths physics course, ie. LC applied maths plus a little bit.
I'm taking mostly maths physics courses this year, 2 maths, 6 maths physics, 2 stats. If you need any help with LC applied maths give me a shout.

*Angel*

Thanks, How did you do in the Leaving?

rainbow kirby

570. A1s in maths, applied maths, physics and chemistry. I got an entrance scholarship into science.

*Angel*

Nice one!

Mutant_Fruit

Applied Maths is the easiest out of those three me thinks.

I would never say applied maths is easier than tech or physics! Out of those 3, i'd say physics is easiest, because you have to understand so little, you just have to learn off.

Applied maths takes a lot of understanding. You might as well give up on getting an A if you don't understand the concepts and questions, and that isn't always easy to do unless you're pretty good at maths. Question one in particular takes understanding. You have to have a very good grasp of your formulae and how to use them to get particular answers.

Tech is either easy or hard. It all depends on whether you can visualise the questions or not. If you can't, you're going to be in trouble and you'll struggle with it. But i'd definately rate tech as being slightly easier than applied maths.

Bear in mind, only the "good" students take applied maths. You have to be good at maths and physics to do it. Don't be under the impression that if you're a C student, you'll be able to fly through applied maths. A friend of mine had that idea in his head, and he crashed and burned after only 6 weeks of applied maths, and he dropped it. BUT, everyone who was good at maths (they'd generalyl get B1+) ended up getting B1's and higher in the applied maths paper. One of them missing the A2 by only 1 mark! (they don't round up).

However, there are always exceptions. I knew a girl who did pass maths, and got a B1 in honours applied maths...

*Angel*

Firstly you definately don't have to be good at physics to be good at app maths. I'm not so gud at physics and i'm A student at app maths, app maths is about understanding so if you've got that your pretty much sorted.

Physics i'm finding pretty damn hard, i getted p*ssed off so easily when i can't get something (which is quite common) i don't know how you can say that you don't have to understand it and that you can just learn it off cos that definately wouldn't work for me. You must be really good at memorizing or something. However even though i find physics kinda hard i have to try to get a A in the leaving which i'm pretty sure i won't get.

Ah TD, I definately agree with you saying you're either bad at it or gud. I luckily seem to have a general aptitude for it, thank God, cos i see the pain that some students go through when trying to understand certain concepts.

So out of those Physics is by far my worst.....

DS

If you have the aptitude for it though Applied Maths is by far the easiest A1 you can get. I did it once a week for around 6 months and got an A1 with a lot less work than in other subjects.

Scarinae

Awww crappage, I find all this out just after I drop Applied Maths? I was under the impression that the exams are really hard and very few people do well (oops)

Scarinae

Then again, I don't do Physics, and I have no intention of doing anything relating to Engineering etc when I'm in college. I just took the subject last year because it seemed interesting

Intel

Im in first yr civil eng in UCD. I did Maths, App Maths, Physics and Chemistry and a few others.
I took up Applied Maths after Xmas in 5th yr. To be honest I didnt found it quite tricky indeed, but by the mocks I pulled off an A2 because i put so much work into it. Maths was my favourite subject back then, the questions were really straighforward compared to app maths, so i think thats why i found it hard.
On LC day, I couldnt get my head around the paper and make stupid mistakes on the easy questions and everything went downhill from there. I eventually gave up in the end, and got a c1.
I also messed up in maths, I think i just missed out on an a2 and got a b1.
On the other hand i got a1s in physics and chem.
And funnily enough i did surprisingly well on my weak pts, languages. I got an A1 in french, A2 Eng, A1 irish(O). btw i failed my english mock!

So, what im saying is that it all depends on how you perform on the day. I reckon that i did much more preparation for the app maths exam than anyone in my class and i think i was trying to find out a procedure to do the questions (like maths). But app maths takes constant thinking and reasoning, and thats where i think i fell down, tbh

Raskolnikov

Fishie wrote:

Awww crappage, I find all this out just after I drop Applied Maths? I was under the impression that the exams are really hard and very few people do well (oops)

I did maths, physics, chemistry and app. maths, personally, I found app. maths to be the hardest. Took it up in my repeat year, up until the mocks I always seemed to be scraping D's, for the exam I managed a C1 with a fair bit of work.

You could consider getting the app. maths book and doing the first relevent exam chapter and see how easy it comes to you.

DS

It's definitely worth finding out how good you are at it. You'll know soon enough once you get a few classes and try some questions. If it's your thing then it's a very, very easy A by comparison. Over 20% get A1s as far as I remember, it's more than any other subject anyway. It's one of those subjects where you do the work as you go. In the run up to the exam I did a few mocks here and there but hardly broke into a sweat. I had to work a hell of a lot harder to get worse results in other subjects. That said, there's a good chance it mightn't suit you at all, all I'm saying is make sure it doesn't before you dismiss it.