HL Maths Harder in Recent Years?

md99

Is it just me or... Has the HL Maths paper become a good deal more difficult in recent years?

I mean the 2006 paper was just an (unfunny) joke, my grinds teacher is friends with the man who set it and apparently there was uproar over it, ie it was marked far easier to make up for the grades which were far lower than expected...

but in general, it's true to say that the papers of the last couple of years have been harder than those of say, the late 90s/early 00s? I just find it from practicing papers... for example, giving 20 marks for simple tasks like to solve difference equation without having to verify it or anything, simple 20 mark trig equations, etc.. they seem to have been much easier and quicker to do than those of recent years.

Anyone else notice this or is it all in my head?

dan719

I'm not sure. I think it varys from year to year, and person to person. I know people who came out of higher maths last year saying it was easy.(they got their a1s). I do think they are trying to catch people out who only study half of the course though. And in all honesty, if someone is studying maths or a maths related degree after school, its only going to get much much harder!!!

ninebeanrows

Yea they threw in that proof by Induction in the Diff last year:eek:

Infact the 2006 paper scares the living bejebus out of me! The Q3 PP1 was a disaster.. and that crazy Trig one would have messes me on the day.

Speaking of maths, i've got some chunk a study to be doing:rolleyes:

But at least with maths you can actually study it, and you get into the rhythm without too much effort.

ZorbaTehZ

Md99, you are most certainly right - however as I've said before - it's a step in the right direction. (Not trying to be elitist honestly) but I feel that the Honours course did not properly reflect - in terms of difficulty on the papers - the quality of the course.
Unfortunately we're not seeing the same thing happen with the physics exams.

5uspect

ZorbaTehZ wrote:

Md99, you are most certainly right - however as I've said before - it's a step in the right direction. (Not trying to be elitist honestly) but I feel that the Honours course did not properly reflect - in terms of difficulty on the papers - the quality of the course.
Unfortunately we're not seeing the same thing happen with the physics exams.

I have to agree with you, the exams were suffering in recent years. And it really shows in the ability of undergrads when doing basic calculus.

boger

hl maths easy a1 .

cson

boger wrote:

hl maths easy a1 .

In your opinion.

lemansky

5uspect wrote:

I have to agree with you, the exams were suffering in recent years. And it really shows in the ability of undergrads when doing basic calculus.

Absolutely.I'm only doing the LC this year but friends who didn't do transition year and who are now doing maths in college say that there fellow students can't carry out basic functions in many of the areas of maths which would've been covered at lc level.This is a direct result of having prepared by the easy standards of previous years for the leaving cert.Whereas from a student's POV its not great(poor us!!:) )its necessary.Those who truly understand maths to an A1 standard will get their A1,just like in any subject.

cocoa

ZorbaTehZ wrote:

Unfortunately we're not seeing the same thing happen with the physics exams.

but of course not. You couldn't put anything *difficult* on the physics exam, that might scare people off, and we *need* more people in science, no matter how basic their understanding...

JC 2K3

md99 wrote:

Is it just me or... Has the HL Maths paper become a good deal more difficult in recent years?

No. Every paper in the 00s has been an absolute píss take in terms of difficulty. Look back at papers from early-mid 90s.

md99 wrote:

I mean the 2006 paper was just an (unfunny) joke, my grinds teacher is friends with the man who set it and apparently there was uproar over it, ie it was marked far easier to make up for the grades which were far lower than expected...

Yes, a joke. God forbid you might actually have to think on your feet in a maths exam. :rolleyes:

tbh, I didn't notice it being any more difficult than any other paper in recent times. Piece of cake compared to pre 00s papers.

boger wrote:

hl maths easy a1 .

Agreed.

(w00t, diplomatic victory!)

dan719

hey I think maths and physics are too easy at leaving cert level also. And I also think we are in for a shock next year(assuming we take related degrees- any fellow future tpers here???) but this thread is becoming dangerously elitist. Not everyone is able for, or wants to do honours maths and physics for the leaving. I personally would hate to do something such as art!!! Celebrate diversity, and if you want some real maths and physics Roger Penrose 'road to reality' and '100 greatest proofs in elementary(i.e no complex numbers) mathematics'.

'The most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible' Albert Einstein

ninebeanrows

Leave it out.

Us returds have to be able to get SOMEwhere in life:o

lemansky

dan719 wrote:

any fellow future tpers here???

yes!!so i'll be seein u in college then assuming we go to the same place??:D And i totally agree with your little booklist there!I was speakin to some tpers,who say that they find it hard but once you like it you'll get along fine, because it is literally what you love if you enjoy lc maths, and physics!

JC 2K3

I considered TP briefly, but decided on CS in the end.

eZe^

I dont agree with the fact it has become harder. Our teacher was just saying the everybody was doing differentiation and nobody attempted sequences and series to the tweaked the ones answered too readily and made the less answered ones alot more managable.

dan719

well lemansky deadly to hear that, I was looking at the lecture notes and its like WOW!!! Im hoping to go to tcd. How about you? Oh if your looking for info give mp fry an email.He is really helpful!

dan719

JC 2K3 wrote:

I considered TP briefly, but decided on CS in the end.

I hope tbhat you come back to us!!! There is still time.:D

lemansky

snap!i'm lookin for tcd as well!yea i was looking at the lecture notes as well....and the books......*cough*i looked at the maths for special relativity its only now it looks hard,once we have the underlying principles of vector calculus drilled in it should be easy cos i could follow it okayish as it is!yea i might just drop him a line!do you have a link or an address for him..(PM it maybe).did you go to the open day they had in tcd for the maths and physics departments?

JC 2K3

dan719 wrote:

hey I think maths and physics are too easy at leaving cert level also. And I also think we are in for a shock next year(assuming we take related degrees- any fellow future tpers here???) but this thread is becoming dangerously elitist. Not everyone is able for, or wants to do honours maths and physics for the leaving. I personally would hate to do something such as art!!! Celebrate diversity, and if you want some real maths and physics Roger Penrose 'road to reality' and '100 greatest proofs in elementary(i.e no complex numbers) mathematics'.

Meh, as you said, celebrate diversity, those who aren't interested in maths and physics don't have to do them.

I mean, don't take it that I'm trying to sound elitist, but if someone can't cope with LC physics it begs the question as to why they picked it in the first place...

dan719

Im not sure but its on the tcd maths website, yeah i did, I was the guy slavishly taking notes in the string theory lecture!! I still have them. And I thought conor haughton's lecture was class too. And of course the brownian motion lecture(ironic that its taught by a german!!!lol) basically I thought the whole thing was deadly!!!

JC 2K3

dan719 wrote:

I hope tbhat you come back to us!!! There is still time.:D

Nah, for a while there I was really into all this complex physics stuff and wanting to learn about subatomic particles and the origin of the universe and the likes.

However, I've grown to be less interested in it in recent times, Computer Science in TCD FTW. The lecture at the open day was class.

lemansky

ah yea i know the guy you mean now!i thought u wer talkin bout sum1 here!conor houghton as actually very good and he helped me out via e-mail with a little maths query there recently!top guy. the string theory was very good and i just finished a book on it there.any ideas how much they cover in tp?i know it may come up in one or two places but it doesn't have its own course as such??another guy from my year is also mad in2 that and doin same course so u shud get on gr8!i must admit i never thought to take notes which i now deeply deeply regret!wan't it funny also that the german guy actually pronounced Einstein correctly as well-like a german would?he was a ledge!

dan719

Apparently there is loads of it in third and fourth year, a guy I know is planning on doing his phd in string theory, he is only in second year! two of ye in the one school??? Id say that gets a little competitive does it:D ?? So theres two of the thirty five places gone already!! oh yes einSTEIN was how it went. Although I thought the drunken sailor dance was definately his best moment!

lemansky

Cool!lookin forward to it already!btw if u want the note conor haughton sent me re the maths problem i can giv it to you-it will hopefully expand ur maths knowledge and if you already know this stuff then we're all f*cked!Well i'll be honest about the competition.in physics we do one revision test a week.two of us get high nineties or 100, then one other gets an a, another a b, then the others....don't do so well!the two of us help each other-and by that we race each other to get the answers but its all good natured!!yes i forgot the dance!u r now the legend for reminding me!

Naikon

dan719 wrote:

hey I think maths and physics are too easy at leaving cert level also. And I also think we are in for a shock next year(assuming we take related degrees- any fellow future tpers here???) but this thread is becoming dangerously elitist. Not everyone is able for, or wants to do honours maths and physics for the leaving. I personally would hate to do something such as art!!! Celebrate diversity, and if you want some real maths and physics Roger Penrose 'road to reality' and '100 greatest proofs in elementary(i.e no complex numbers) mathematics'.

'The most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible' Albert Einstein

True, I do OL level maths and to be honest I wont need honours for my course.
I like maths, but I wouldn't want to pursue subjects like TP:o

Maths is a usefull tool to me, to somebody else a way of living/thinking.
I hate to say it but I do Honours Physics and the maths aint too bad at all considering there is no Calculus at all.
The current course is too vague/not hard enough for people who want to pursue TP and physics related degrees.

JC 2K3

Apparently some top scientists are starting to lose faith in string theory.

This has gone way off topic btw.

lemansky

and other top scientists aren't!:D its all a different angle on one thing!and with this new accelerator in CERN there may be a breakthrough!ah come on give us a break with the topic!its all an extension on lc maths after all!and that particular question that was asked has been answered!

JC 2K3

meh, I'm not a mod, continue as you wish.

:|

Eh.......do physics in DCU

lemansky

I wan't bein narky just so as ya know!:D

dan719

Yeah send me the note if you don't mind!!! Ah the joys of competition in physics class, the only person I get to compete with is the teacher!!!lol joking. well kinda. okay String theory and ed whitten. Definition of legend, did a degree in history, before doing phd in physics. Then won a fields medal(which is a maths and not a physics prize btw). And some are losing faith in string theory but others say 'it is our best hope'. Howabout holographic mechanics(is that what its called btw??)