maths, how to start?

~Candy~

I know The best way of 'study' maths is to do a lot of questions,
but i ve got no idea how to start the study off..I am all over the place now -_-, and i don't seem to remember much from 5th yr ..

'apparently' we have finished the whole LC higher maths course in 5th year..( more like we rushed through it last year)apart from Q6,7 paper 2 and Q4,5 in paper1l but they are still a lot of bits and pieces that i am missing out..gaps that which needs to be filled...have no idea does he gonna go back over them ..it's like in a exam question, usually, part ok,part B okish with luck, part C dead -_-

Considering the maths course is kind of long, does anyone have any suggestions on how to study for maths?where to start, how long to spend on each topic.. how much time to spend each day?how to use revison books effctively?

ok,i just really want the A1 in this subject..


thanks ^^

KnifeWRENCH

You answered your question in the first line of your post!
"Do a lot of questions" - really, this is the most effective way to study.

You should prepare for all questions if possible - I left out matrices and complex no.s for my exam because I had planned on answering on sequences & series. But the Q.4 we got was quite different to the ones I had practiced and was not at all what I expected and I couldn't answer most of it. So then I had nothing to fall back on.:(

Make sure you learn all the theorems of by heart - there are only a few on the course and are easy marks if they come up. Same with differentiation by first principles.

Also, I did find the Less Stress revision books for Maths very helpful (although they're crap for other subjects)

You should start revising with algebra - it crops up in all areas of the course. Then move on to Trig and Calculus.
Leave Vectors until last - it's a very short topic and generally an easy question.
Also, aim to answer Q.7 on Paper II - I know a lot of people don't like Probability (although I loved it myself) but the part (c) is usually on statistics - this is another very short part of the course and is usually an easy 20 marks.

PurpleFistMixer

What I did was, aside from doing loads of questions, was make notes on the chapters. I sort of just followed the way my book did it...

So say for chapter one was algebra, I had like...
"Simultaneous Equations with 3 Variables", then a sample equation and a brief description of how to do the question. It was basically "eliminate one variable first and then deal with as normal". Didn't need to be long or detailed, just enough to jog my memory and bring back the work that had been done with them.
Then I'd have other things in algebra, like quadratic equation, any other formulae, the stuff with alphas and betas, all that. Basically what the book was saying, but shorter, fewer examples (at the start I had examples but then got tired of them and left them out), and no exercises.

I made the notes chapter by chapter as we did them in school, so when we'd finished say, all of differentiation, I'd make notes on that topic. It'd refresh the stuff we'd done at the very start that had become a bit fuzzy and distant, and gave a chance to look over things I mightn't have fully understood.

However, notes and all are nice, but at the end of the day, to learn maths, you gotta do problems. Lots of problems. Exam problems, stuff in your book, whatever. I'd say leave exam papers until last because they're the most valuable. I found my books had good problems in them, and your teacher can always get you sample exam papers if necessary!

There is no definite "where to start, how long to spend"... You start where you want... the start of the maths book, the topic you feel the worst about, question 1 on paper 1, whatever. How long to spend I would say is, as long as it takes, so long as you have sufficient time to devote to other subjects/things. What I did was set a time limit of 40 minutes. I'd set my alarm to go off in 40 minutes, and until then, forget about the time. When the alarm went off, I'd put down my pen and move on to the next thing... You need to be measured about it obviously, so you don't spend hours floundering and forget everything else, but the time shouldn't weigh on your mind. That's why I got my alarm to worry about the time for me. : p

And I never used revision books, so I haven't a clue. The only benefit to them I can see is a further bank of questions... though tbh, I did a LOT of maths in 5th and 6th year (3 foolscap folders worth of pages), and I didn't do every single question in either of my maths books (one for each year), so you're probably not in too much danger of running out of questions.

Oh, and of course, with maths, trying to gain a good understanding of just WHAT you're doing (ie integration isn't just "well you raise the power and divide it by that...", it's "you're cutting it up into millions of tiny sections and adding them all together") will always help, particularly with the c questions. And don't be afraid of maths, by god. Okay, you have problems with c parts. Don't dread them. Keep a fresh, open mind when approaching them. Read the question calmly and if you don't recognise it at first, don't panic. It's on your course somewhere, you've probably covered it, it might be a little concealed or there might be some extra thinking involved, but it is doable with effort.

TheDonMan

PurpleFistMixer wrote: »

What I did was, aside from doing loads of questions, was make notes on the chapters. I sort of just followed the way my book did it...

So say for chapter one was algebra, I had like...
"Simultaneous Equations with 3 Variables", then a sample equation and a brief description of how to do the question. It was basically "eliminate one variable first and then deal with as normal". Didn't need to be long or detailed, just enough to jog my memory and bring back the work that had been done with them.
Then I'd have other things in algebra, like quadratic equation, any other formulae, the stuff with alphas and betas, all that. Basically what the book was saying, but shorter, fewer examples (at the start I had examples but then got tired of them and left them out), and no exercises.

I made the notes chapter by chapter as we did them in school, so when we'd finished say, all of differentiation, I'd make notes on that topic. It'd refresh the stuff we'd done at the very start that had become a bit fuzzy and distant, and gave a chance to look over things I mightn't have fully understood.

However, notes and all are nice, but at the end of the day, to learn maths, you gotta do problems. Lots of problems. Exam problems, stuff in your book, whatever. I'd say leave exam papers until last because they're the most valuable. I found my books had good problems in them, and your teacher can always get you sample exam papers if necessary!

There is no definite "where to start, how long to spend"... You start where you want... the start of the maths book, the topic you feel the worst about, question 1 on paper 1, whatever. How long to spend I would say is, as long as it takes, so long as you have sufficient time to devote to other subjects/things. What I did was set a time limit of 40 minutes. I'd set my alarm to go off in 40 minutes, and until then, forget about the time. When the alarm went off, I'd put down my pen and move on to the next thing... You need to be measured about it obviously, so you don't spend hours floundering and forget everything else, but the time shouldn't weigh on your mind. That's why I got my alarm to worry about the time for me. : p

And I never used revision books, so I haven't a clue. The only benefit to them I can see is a further bank of questions... though tbh, I did a LOT of maths in 5th and 6th year (3 foolscap folders worth of pages), and I didn't do every single question in either of my maths books (one for each year), so you're probably not in too much danger of running out of questions.

Oh, and of course, with maths, trying to gain a good understanding of just WHAT you're doing (ie integration isn't just "well you raise the power and divide it by that...", it's "you're cutting it up into millions of tiny sections and adding them all together") will always help, particularly with the c questions. And don't be afraid of maths, by god. Okay, you have problems with c parts. Don't dread them. Keep a fresh, open mind when approaching them. Read the question calmly and if you don't recognise it at first, don't panic. It's on your course somewhere, you've probably covered it, it might be a little concealed or there might be some extra thinking involved, but it is doable with effort.

Thanks very much. Your posts are always very informative and helpful.

spudington16

You need to know theorems inside and out - read them a couple of times, then practise writing them out yourself over and over without looking til you get it out flawlessly.

As for the rest of the course, the past exam papers are your best friend; cover the material first in your text book, then attempt questions fully without looking at the book when you've prepared a whole section (e.g. calculus). Be sure not to be liberal with time, though; be disciplined and force yourself to follow strict LC HL time limits - ideally 22 mins per question.

Oh, and writing all formulae together on a few sheets by topic is a great way to learn them - otherwise you'll be flicking through your book looking for the relevant one.

Good luck!

sarahbrennan

I found myself in a position similar to yours last year around the mocks. there were small areas of the course which had been covered in fifth year but id forgotten, and these small things were really holding me back especially when we'd start a new topic.
i got about 6 grinds to help me understand the basics and i flew it after that. so i'd definately recommend getting someone to give you a hand, maybe even your teacher?

~Candy~

square_igloo wrote: »

You answered your question in the first line of your post!
"Do a lot of questions" - really, this is the most effective way to study.

You should prepare for all questions if possible - I left out matrices and complex no.s for my exam because I had planned on answering on sequences & series. But the Q.4 we got was quite different to the ones I had practiced and was not at all what I expected and I couldn't answer most of it. So then I had nothing to fall back on.:(

Make sure you learn all the theorems of by heart - there are only a few on the course and are easy marks if they come up. Same with differentiation by first principles...
(QUOTE]
thanks very much !! ^-^ !!! and thx again )))

PurpleFistMixer wrote: »

What I did was, aside from doing loads of questions, was make notes on the chapters. I sort of just followed the way my book did it...

So say for chapter one was algebra, I had like...
"Simultaneous Equations with 3 Variables", then a sample equation and a brief description of how to do the question. It was basically "eliminate one variable first and then deal with as normal". Didn't need to be long or detailed, just enough to jog my memory and bring back the work that had been done with them.
Then I'd have other things in algebra, like quadratic equation, any other formulae, the stuff with alphas and betas, all that. Basically what the book was saying, but shorter, fewer examples (at the start I had examples but then got tired of them and left them out), and no exercises.

I made the notes chapter by chapter as we did them in school, so when we'd finished say, all of differentiation, I'd make notes on that topic. It'd refresh the stuff we'd done at the very start that had become a bit fuzzy and distant, and gave a chance to look over things I mightn't have fully understood.

However, notes and all are nice, but at the end of the day, to learn maths, you gotta do problems. Lots of problems. Exam problems, stuff in your book, whatever. I'd say leave exam papers until last because they're the most valuable. I found my books had good problems in them, and your teacher can always get you sample exam papers if necessary!

There is no definite "where to start, how long to spend"... You start where you want... the start of the maths book, the topic you feel the worst about, question 1 on paper 1, whatever. How long to spend I would say is, as long as it takes, so long as you have sufficient time to devote to other subjects/things. What I did was set a time limit of 40 minutes. I'd set my alarm to go off in 40 minutes, and until then, forget about the time. When the alarm went off, I'd put down my pen and move on to the next thing... You need to be measured about it obviously, so you don't spend hours floundering and forget everything else, but the time shouldn't weigh on your mind. That's why I got my alarm to worry about the time for me. : p

And I never used revision books, so I haven't a clue. The only benefit to them I can see is a further bank of questions... though tbh, I did a LOT of maths in 5th and 6th year (3 foolscap folders worth of pages), and I didn't do every single question in either of my maths books (one for each year), so you're probably not in too much danger of running out of questions.

Oh, and of course, with maths, trying to gain a good understanding of just WHAT you're doing (ie integration isn't just "well you raise the power and divide it by that...", it's "you're cutting it up into millions of tiny sections and adding them all together") will always help, particularly with the c questions. And don't be afraid of maths, by god. Okay, you have problems with c parts. Don't dread them. Keep a fresh, open mind when approaching them. Read the question calmly and if you don't recognise it at first, don't panic. It's on your course somewhere, you've probably covered it, it might be a little concealed or there might be some extra thinking involved, but it is doable with effort.

thanks very much , i am printing ur advice off like thats very nice of u ..thanks again !!

spudington16 wrote: »

You need to know theorems inside and out - read them a couple of times, then practise writing them out yourself over and over without looking til you get it out flawlessly.

As for the rest of the course, the past exam papers are your best friend; cover the material first in your text book, then attempt questions fully without looking at the book when you've prepared a whole section (e.g. calculus). Be sure not to be liberal with time, though; be disciplined and force yourself to follow strict LC HL time limits - ideally 22 mins per question.

Oh, and writing all formulae together on a few sheets by topic is a great way to learn them - otherwise you'll be flicking through your book looking for the relevant one.

Good luck!

thanks bud!!^^^

sarahbrennan wrote: »

I found myself in a position similar to yours last year around the mocks. there were small areas of the course which had been covered in fifth year but id forgotten, and these small things were really holding me back especially when we'd start a new topic.
i got about 6 grinds to help me understand the basics and i flew it after that. so i'd definately recommend getting someone to give you a hand, maybe even your teacher?

yea i know wot you mean, thank you

LivingDeadGirl

I am also finding this thread very helpful.

talk2050

Hi just launched a website offering free online maths grinds. Check it out at http://www.talk2050.com The site is still in its early stages but will be completed by christmass.

nevey

talk2050 wrote: »

Hi just launched a website offering free online maths grinds. Check it out at http://www.talk2050.com The site is still in its early stages but will be completed by christmass.

Nice idea, but I noticed a few problems.
On this page you have a title "factorising quadratic equations" but there isn't an equation (a combination of expressions balanced with an equals sign) anywhere - you are just factoring a quadratic trinomial.
If that is being a little picky, well this isn't: you factor x^2 + 8x + 9 as being equal to (x-1)(x+9) ... that is simply wrong.

I don't have time to chase all the posts where you've promoted your site, but perhaps you could fix this error asap. I didn't have time to look at the rest of it. Best of luck to you.

nevey

You made the same error in the second factorising quadratics video clip, your second example 8x^2 + 12x - 4 is also factored incorrectly.
Beginning to wonder if you know how to factor
Come to think of it, don't you think it would be good to explain what factorising actually means?

talk2050

I fail to see the error i made please enlighten me with your method of finding the factors of the quadratic equation 8x^2 + 12x-4..

ps i did say the site was in its early days so alittle positive enforcement would be nice. I am aware it needs alittle work but the maths lessons i assure you are in good quality.

quote=nevey;57236154]You made the same error in the second factorising quadratics video clip, your second example 8x^2 + 12x - 4 is also factored incorrectly.
Beginning to wonder if you know how to factor
Come to think of it, don't you think it would be good to explain what factorising actually means?[/quote]

talk2050

ok i take it back there is a sign error
crap

talk2050 wrote: »

I fail to see the error i made please enlighten me with your method of finding the factors of the quadratic equation 8x^2 + 12x-4..

ps i did say the site was in its early days so alittle positive enforcement would be nice. I am aware it needs alittle work but the maths lessons i assure you are in good quality.

quote=nevey;57236154]You made the same error in the second factorising quadratics video clip, your second example 8x^2 + 12x - 4 is also factored incorrectly.
Beginning to wonder if you know how to factor
Come to think of it, don't you think it would be good to explain what factorising actually means?

[/quote]

Fringe

There's no point just doing loads of questions if you don't understand the theory behind it. You might just look at sample answers for the method and apply it to other questions but this doesn't work because of how broad the questions you get can be. The examples in your book are the most simplest and simply are just examples to show the theory in practice. You should understand the concept of whatever chapter you're studying which will help you much more in solving questions.

Also, just learning off the theorems is no use. You won't know how to use them properly. What you should do is understand the concept behind how the theorems work and then you won't really need to learn them off.

LivingDeadGirl

I just got the Less Stress Revision books, thought they might be good, any opinions?