Higher maths series and sequences - Necessary?

Incompetent

Bit of a strange question, but I'm wondering if you can leave this section out? I've no papers so can't check, but as far as I know you only have to answer 6 questions on a paper, so do I need to do this section for other sections?

I ask because I missed the first few classes of it and I'm kind of lost at the moment. It'd be handy if I could focus more on things I'm good at. I'm aiming high enough, if that makes a difference

Edit: By leave out, I mean not learn or study

Canard

Thats on Paper 1 isnt it? if so, yes you can leave it out - you only need to know 6/8 questions. I havent done that and I dont know if we will be but it doesnt look so bad, definitely not as bad as integration looks haha, so maybe try it

on paper two though theres no choice anymore because of project maths.

Incompetent

Patchy~ wrote: »

Thats on Paper 1 isnt it? if so, yes you can leave it out - you only need to know 6/8 questions. I havent done that and I dont know if we will be but it doesnt look so bad, definitely not as bad as integration looks haha, so maybe try it

on paper two though theres no choice anymore because of project maths.

Yeah, tis paper 1. That's good to hear.
To be honest integration isn't too bad, as long as you follow it in class. I found it grand! (but then again I did it previously in applied maths )

Canard

Ah yes, then its optional It looks pretty rough tbh! :P But sure if I do it in class I'll probably manage :P

MathsManiac

Sequences series comes up in two questions, so if you leave it out entirely, you'll have no choice at all.

They're not popular questions, but if you can get on top of the topic, they're not at all bad.

dambarude

I'm not sure how they work on the new Project Maths paper... but Sequences and Series provided some of the easiest questions in the last few years. I had planned on leaving it out but swotted on it before the exam. It paid off.

It used to be part of the option question on paper 2 as well... but I'm guessing that's gone with the new syllabus.

jumpguy

In the old course, they started throwing in random bits of sections into parts of questions (like a bit of sequences and series was in a probability question one year) the year before which made leaving out a section a bit more of a gamble.

Chuchoter

I don't think you can just choose any section to leave out, I've seen integration in a matrices question.

Canard

I'd say that amount of integration is probably covered in that topic though, like how algebra pops up everywhere but not as complicated as in the actual algebra questions. I mean, it wouldnt be case of the book having pure matrices questions and then only on the day of the exam putting integration into it, surely. I cant say because I havent done either yet though.

Chuchoter

No it seems to be just this little chunk of integration shoved into a matrices/complex numbers question. its 2010 or 2009. Its worrying as we aren't going to do series and sequences so I'm afraid it will pop up in another question :S

whydoibother?

Ok, can I just tell you people a secret about the Leaving Cert I wish I'd known when I was doing Higher Level maths quite a few years ago now?

There will be at least one if not two horrible questions on your paper and parents will be ringing Joe Duffy about them after the exam. These could be the sort of questions that maths teachers stand outside the exam hall for half an hour afterwards trying to figure out the best way to go about them. How do I know this? It happens every year.

The good news is you don't have to answer all eight questions. The people who do really well in maths are not necessarily all gifted geniuses that have such a deep understanding of their six chosen topics that they can tackle them regardless of where that years nasty questions fall. They are people who have a fairly good understanding of all topics, so that they can just not do the hard questions.

Good luck!

Canard

Good point, I always wonder why we dont just do all 8 because as Chuchoter said, they can pop up like that. Do the SEC give you the choice of covering 6, or are you supposed to cover 8 and its your own tough luck if you try and get by on 6?

dambarude

You're meant to cover every topic in the syllabus save the options where you pick one of four.

Teachers who choose to leave areas out are putting their students in a poor position. The choice should be left to the students themselves to leave out a topic, but the choice should not be made for them by teachers deliberately not covering sequences, or vectors for example.

whydoibother?

Patchy~ wrote: »

Good point, I always wonder why we dont just do all 8 because as Chuchoter said, they can pop up like that. Do the SEC give you the choice of covering 6, or are you supposed to cover 8 and its your own tough luck if you try and get by on 6?

When I said "six chosen topics", I meant the topics that people had decided themselves they could get away with. I never heard of the SEC or anyone else giving any guarantees that six would be enough. As you say, they mix them. I don't want to say either way because I just don't know.

MathsManiac

The syllabus says: "The syllabus is presented in the form of a core and a list of options. It is envisaged that students would study the whole of the core and one option."

So, if you haven't studied all of the core, and you get caught out, it's your own look out.

MathsNerd31

Teachers who do not cover all 8 questions are negligent. All 8 should be covered. The two easiest questions are often Sequences & Series and Integration. The reason students find them difficult is because teachers often leave them until very late.

Project Maths is an abomination and will bring the country back to the dark ages mathematically. I feel I have to apologise to my class because it's so dull and for the most part, ridiculously easy compared to the old course. I sympathise with students doing the course because they will emerge from secondary school with an inferior education.

The reason Project Maths was introduced is because there is a shortage of teachers capable of teaching the old course. Anyone can walk into a class and tell them about different types of survey and explain what is meant by the mean, median and mode etc. It's not as easy to explain the intricacies of calculus or trigonometry, both of which have been stripped back to basics. I highly recommend that anyone who wants an edge when it comes to 3rd level should study Applied Maths.

Chuchoter

+1 to everything you just said. I've ideas of doing engineering next year and I'm so worried my maths won't be up to it even thought I'm a b1, a2 student.

Sunny!!

everything above is true. Maths in this country is just going down the drain. I'm repeating the lc this year and i'd rather the old course. And from friends i've talked to its the exact same. I dont see it lasting long. I remember seeing a stat somewhere every country that this 'understanding' nonsense course came in it failed. I dont see why ireland will be any different.

Canard

Not to mention how pointless half of it is. Unless I'm missing something, I dont think its necessary to learn how to construct a 4cmx9cm rectangle with a protractor and a compass. [/rant]

Sunny!!

Patchy~ wrote: »

Not to mention how pointless half of it is. Unless I'm missing something, I dont think its necessary to learn how to construct a 4cmx9cm rectangle with a protractor and a compass. [/rant]

:L we all know what the problem with maths is in this country. Most teachers have science degrees and they just teach maths which isnt damn right!!

Togepi

Is sequences and series any easier than the other seven questions? I might need to look into it outside school, we're not doing it in class but it looks like it might be easier than other questions.

Reillyman

Togepi wrote: »

Is sequences and series any easier than the other seven questions? I might need to look into it outside school, we're not doing it in class but it looks like it might be easier than other questions.

Usually its handy enough, but my god don't leave out the integration question, by far the easiest question on the whole paper! Also if your doing anything maths/science/engineering/computing related in 3rd level it's vital you understand both integration and series.

Togepi

Reillyman wrote: »

Usually its handy enough, but my god don't leave out the integration question, by far the easiest question on the whole paper! Also if your doing anything maths/science/engineering/computing related in 3rd level it's vital you understand both integration and series.

I've already done integration so I probably won't leave that out, even though some of it is really hard. I would leave out complex numbers but some of it's really easy so, I'll probably just stick with that too.

Canard

My teacher is leaving out matrices/complex numbers and the mixed algebra/logs/binomial induction question. I was thinking of learning matrices and maybe the other one in my spare time, is it worth it or are the other 6 a good choice?

Reillyman

Togepi wrote: »

I've already done integration so I probably won't leave that out, even though some of it is really hard. I would leave out complex numbers but some of it's really easy so, I'll probably just stick with that too.

Which bits do you find hard? Integration is just calculating an area under a curve? I think once you understand about the limits of integration your sorted, check out some of "PatrickJMT"'s videos on YouTube, should help!

Chuchoter

Patchy~ wrote: »

My teacher is leaving out matrices/complex numbers and the mixed algebra/logs/binomial induction question. I was thinking of learning matrices and maybe the other one in my spare time, is it worth it or are the other 6 a good choice?

How do you live without logs? They're everywhere. EVERYWHERE I TELL YOU.

Canard

Haha yeah I've noticed! We skipped them back in 5th year and never got around to it, but we're gonna have to do them for the differentiation/probability sections and I guess its a nice way of revising too. Which is why I dont know why we're leaving out the question when all we'd seem to have to do is binomial induction!

Togepi

Reillyman wrote: »

Togepi wrote: »

I've already done integration so I probably won't leave that out, even though some of it is really hard. I would leave out complex numbers but some of it's really easy so, I'll probably just stick with that too.

Which bits do you find hard? Integration is just calculating an area under a curve? I think once you understand about the limits of integration your sorted, check out some of "PatrickJMT"'s videos on YouTube, should help!

I haven't done trigonometry yet so I generally don't get anything that has sin or cos in it. Yeah if I understood it I'd probably be grand but the Leaving Cert course doesn't always teach us to understand Maths. (Probably the reason I find some of it so hard!) Thanks I'll look at some of those videos as soon as I can!

partyatmygaff

I'd definitely recommend it. Last year they took parts of that section and put it in to the probability questions. Leaving it out would have been a disaster.

As an aside, definitely prepare for section 5 on Paper 1. It looks difficult but it's incredibly easy to do well in. I managed to get to grips with proof by induction and the binomial theorem just three weeks before the exam and managed to get 50/50 in that question.

Canard

partyatmygaff wrote: »

I'd definitely recommend it. Last year they took parts of that section and put it in to the probability questions. Leaving it out would have been a disaster.

As an aside, definitely prepare for section 5 on Paper 1. It looks difficult but it's incredibly easy to do well in. I managed to get to grips with proof by induction and the binomial theorem just three weeks before the exam and managed to get 50/50 in that question.

what exactly is in that question? we're skipping it but i've heard its partly algebra/logs - we've done algebra and will be doing logs. is that true?

partyatmygaff

Algebra/Logs, the odd bit of Sequences/Series, Binomial theorem and Proof by Induction.