Maths - Higher or Ordinary?

md99

lilmizzme wrote:

Does anyone think there's a bit of a snob factor when doing honours maths? I know plenty who are doing it and are either failing or scraping a pass....I think they just like being able to say they do Honours Maths. Having said all that, there's more doing foundation in school then there are doing Honours

In ways... But then there are so many outrageously academic people who do Pass... I think the problem is TOO many get the idea of drop back, get the A1, get the same points as a C3 in honours...

I know plenty who stay in HL Maths, and risk FAILING it even, knowing well they'd probably get more points from Pass.... I don't know WHY they do it, unless it's needed for their course (speaking of my own class, I don't think it's needed in any..)

If there is a snob factor I think it is somewhat warranted, not that it's right. HL Maths is FAR more difficult to HL, say, English, or Irish, in my opinion... I was of the opinion I'd drop back after the pre, and was content to do so, then when I got my results back, something happened and I started working like mad... A few weeks later now and I'm averaging 30-45/50 in many questions... So ya never know what will happen. Throughout 5th year and most of this year I was never comfortorable with the subject.

There's a well known story in our school of a fella who failed his LC due to failing maths, and getting ridiculously high points in everything else..

KnifeWRENCH

Mushy wrote:

Is it as small as my 4-in-the-class class? That number set to fall come Mock results time:D

my HL class has the mighty total of 2 (including me!!!) we had 11 at the start of 5th year,but people evntually kept dropping down... strangely,its double the number who did it last year (one girl from latvia) :D i wasnt sure about doing HL but i got a C2 in the pre (and dat was with two terrible questions on paper 2 : 13/50 and 14/50) so with a bit of work,im fairly comfortable about it now..

eZe^

md99 wrote:

In ways... But then there are so many outrageously academic people who do Pass... I think the problem is TOO many get the idea of drop back, get the A1, get the same points as a C3 in honours...

I know plenty who stay in HL Maths, and risk FAILING it even, knowing well they'd probably get more points from Pass.... I don't know WHY they do it, unless it's needed for their course (speaking of my own class, I don't think it's needed in any..)

If there is a snob factor I think it is somewhat warranted, not that it's right. HL Maths is FAR more difficult to HL, say, English, or Irish, in my opinion... I was of the opinion I'd drop back after the pre, and was content to do so, then when I got my results back, something happened and I started working like mad... A few weeks later now and I'm averaging 30-45/50 in many questions... So ya never know what will happen. Throughout 5th year and most of this year I was never comfortorable with the subject.

There's a well known story in our school of a fella who failed his LC due to failing maths, and getting ridiculously high points in everything else..

Id disagree, math is way easier to get an A1 in than Irish/ English. Both those subjects require a ridiculous amount of learning off. Math is alot more straight forward, your either right or wrong. Thing is, some people are the exact opposite I suppose, its just where each individuals intelligences lay.

:|

Mushy wrote:

Is it as small as my 4-in-the-class class? That number set to fall come Mock results time:D

I'm doing Higher, just need to work on it more before June, know I'm able for it. Would be quite risky dropping down, as I'm already doing Ord. Physics and Irish

Higher maths and ordinary physics?? thats the strangest thing I've ever heard!

JC 2K3

^Agreed!

md99

eZe^ wrote:

Id disagree, math is way easier to get an A1 in than Irish/ English. Both those subjects require a ridiculous amount of learning off. Math is alot more straight forward, your either right or wrong. Thing is, some people are the exact opposite I suppose, its just where each individuals intelligences lay.

You're right about that last part.. Many maths whiz's I know are brilliant at the maths/science subjects and a lot weaker at languages...

I don't agree about Eng/Irish having a ridiculous amount of learning.. Do they really? I know many who don't do a stroke during the two years and pull Cs or Bs... English is for the most part a natural ability.... Someone who doesn't have this ability, but knows the course material, may pull the same grade as someone with the 'ability' who has only a half knowledge..

I think Irish and English are only swatting subjects to a minor extent, and natural ability for the rest..

Marshy

eZe^ wrote:

Id disagree, math is way easier to get an A1 in than Irish/ English. Both those subjects require a ridiculous amount of learning off. Math is alot more straight forward, your either right or wrong.

Its hard to get an A1 in Irish because your standard of Irish has to be very high. Theres not much learning off at all when you compare it to the likes of biology, economics etc. You learn off some poetry, drama, prose and stair. Thats not such a ridiculous amount.
Similarly with english, all there is to learn is poetry( dont mention war), comparative and macbeth.
Maths is only way easier if its your strong suit.

Naikon

Mushy wrote:

I'm doing Higher, just need to work on it more before June, know I'm able for it. Would be quite risky dropping down, as I'm already doing Ord. Physics and Irish

Is it Unusual for someone doing Ordinary maths, who also does Higher Physics?
To be Honest the maths isnt too bad except for Circular Motion which I find a little bit confusing, I mean most people hate Electricity but I find that section pretty easy which isnt the Norm in my class LOL!

Naikon

Naikon wrote:

Is it Unusual for someone doing Ordinary maths, who also does Higher Physics?
To be Honest the maths isnt too bad except for Circular Motion which I find a little bit confusing, I mean most people hate Electricity but I find that section pretty easy which isnt the Norm in my class LOL!

Nah, my mate got an A2 in OL Maths while getting a B2 in HL Physics. He did honours Irish, and thought he would get a higher results in that then Maths for time spent so went to pass maths.

Naikon

Oh, Ok:)
I reckon I am not the only one:p

I reckon you really would need a good score in Honours Maths
For Physics at third level, as from what I have seen Physics is very different at third level.

Its a little strange we dont use even a little Calculus in Physics.
Lets hope I make do with a solid ordinary score for comp.sci in DIT.

ethernet

Naikon wrote:

Is it Unusual for someone doing Ordinary maths, who also does Higher Physics?
To be Honest the maths isnt too bad except for Circular Motion which I find a little bit confusing, I mean most people hate Electricity but I find that section pretty easy which isnt the Norm in my class LOL!

I dropped down to pass maths after the JC. I'm doing HL physics. Just a case of learning off some of the minute HL maths stuff required [that log stuff has come up a few places]

md99

ethernet wrote:

[that log stuff has come up a few places]

arghhh... log.. the bane of my f**king leaving cert!

JC 2K3

log is simple when you get your head around it.

If Log to base a of b = c
Then a^c = b

If: x(Log to base a of b) = c
Then: Log to base a of b^x = c
And therefore: a^c = b^x

If: (Log to base a of b) + (Log to base a of x) = c
Then: Log to base a of bx =c
And therefore: a^c = bx

That's all there is to it. Well actually there's a formula for changing the base of a log, but I can't remember it, you rarely have to use it anyway.

Nehpets

logs are your friend

eZe^

Naikon wrote:

Oh, Ok:)
I reckon I am not the only one:p

I reckon you really would need a good score in Honours Maths
For Physics at third level, as from what I have seen Physics is very different at third level.

Its a little strange we dont use even a little Calculus in Physics.
Lets hope I make do with a solid ordinary score for comp.sci in DIT.

Too true, physics has the hardest math of any courses at 3rd level bar Math Science itself. My friend was showing me some of the regular formula he uses everyday, theyd make applied math look like addition and subtraction!

Naikon

I know, I Mean take a look at this for example:

http://maths.ucd.ie/~sdolan/notes/handout2.pdf

Nothing like that at second level.

Corruptedmorals

Wow, good few nerds here then.

Ordinary, and thank god. I can actually grasp something new very fast, but I forget it equally fast, and I fecking hate part c's. Failed my way through Junior Cert higher and scraped a D in the actual.

Got 63% in my pass maths mock there. Happy with that, c2 with no effort. Automatically not counting it, and not in danger of failing, so I'm pretty much ignoring the subject, often using revision of topics I know really well as undone-homework time..

In our honours maths class, 7 people passed. Cue loads of people dropping to my class..

eZe^

Naikon wrote:

I know, I Mean take a look at this for example:

http://maths.ucd.ie/~sdolan/notes/handout2.pdf

Nothing like that at second level.

Its like the massive gap between the standard of math at J.C level and L.C.

Piste

I'm doing HL atm cos I was moved up at the beginning of TY cos of my JC results. I'm finding it grand so far but we're just touching on the course really, I might find it more difficult and have to drop down in 5th year. I'd say my class size will reduce by loads by this time 6th year, it's ridiculous at the moment there's something like 36 of us in the one class!

Blowfish

Naikon wrote:

I know, I Mean take a look at this for example:

http://maths.ucd.ie/~sdolan/notes/handout2.pdf

Nothing like that at second level.

It is a bit of a shock at first, but you actually get used to maths like that fairly quickly and it really doesn't scare you. I mean imagine if you were doing your junior cert now and had a look at the higher level leaving, it would look just as meaningless.

StephenC_IRL

adamcp wrote:

Higher but it's really getting difficult now because our teacher has been away for most of this year, if I do absolutely terrible in the mocks I may reconsider my options.........

join the club, theres 18 months of maths course work total in 5th and 6th year, ive had no teacher for 6 of those

JC 2K3

I never saw the jump in standard from JC to LC being big at all....

Donald-Duck

JC 2K3 wrote:

I never saw the jump in standard from JC to LC being big at all....

I did better in leaving cert maths than junior cert with equally little work for both. I guess I missed the jump as well.

Carsinian Thau

Higher

Carsinian Thau

eZe^ wrote:

What's this for? Seems oddly familiar.

eZe^

Carsinian Thau wrote:

What's this for? Seems oddly familiar.

Paul Diracs antimatter equation.