Teaching Applied Maths

therambler

Hi guys, hope this is the right forum.

My aunt has asked me if I could help teaching applied maths outside school to my cousin. I've a degree in applied physics so I know the content inside out.

Just wondering which topic would be the best to start with for his level of math. He got an A in honours in the JC and he'll be doing honours maths and physics for the leaving as well. Obviously I can't launch into anything calculus related just yet.

spurious

Check the syllabus and stick to that.

Benm123

Id start with vectors. Once a strong foudation of understanding in vectors is established, he will then feel confident tackling other questions; as vectors are a vital component in most other questions.

After vectors, try linesr velocity/uniform acceleration. This is a good starting point as it is a full question in the paper. It is also a great start to get him into critical thinking/problem solving.

Projectiles could be a good choice for the next topic, as this stems a lot from linear velocity/uniform acceleration.

See how you get on with these starting chapters and see how he responds to them and if they're going well - it shouldnt matter what your next topic is. He'll fly the rest of them.

These were the order I was taught Applied Maths in, and I just picked up my A2 in my LC a few weeks ago.

Hope this helps!

Ps. If you can, try giving continous assesment of past chapters. I found that I had quickly forgotten almost complete full chapters once they became a few months old. Continous assesment and revision of old chapters will be a big help coming up to exams.

therambler

Benm123 wrote: »

Id start with vectors. Once a strong foundation of understanding in vectors is established, he will then feel confident tackling other questions; as vectors are a vital component in most other questions.

After vectors, try linesr velocity/uniform acceleration. This is a good starting point as it is a full question in the paper. It is also a great start to get him into critical thinking/problem solving.

Projectiles could be a good choice for the next topic, as this stems a lot from linear velocity/uniform acceleration.

See how you get on with these starting chapters and see how he responds to them and if they're going well - it shouldnt matter what your next topic is. He'll fly the rest of them.

These were the order I was taught Applied Maths in, and I just picked up my A2 in my LC a few weeks ago.

Hope this helps!

Ps. If you can, try giving continous assesment of past chapters. I found that I had quickly forgotten almost complete full chapters once they became a few months old. Continous assesment and revision of old chapters will be a big help coming up to exams.

Thank you so much! That makes a lot of sense!

qweerty

thephysisteacher.ie has good notes and comprehensive past papers. I would do Libear Motion first as it's one of the most interesting topics but also probably the one with the most basic theory; it'll allow him to get into swing of things. I personally think Statics is a great preparation for resolving vectors into perpendicular components. After that, as Benm3 said, order doesn't particularly matter.