VCE General & Further Maths Question Thread!

[kinslayer]

Yea, i knew that, but it was just the way of thinking about it since you can't have a negative range. All good, thanks 

Think of it like this: if , then . So long as you got the min/max right, it's not possible to have a negative range

[Snorlax]

I seem to be a little confused.
Are the 5 summary statistics different to the 5 number summary?
5 summary statistics: median, IQR, Range, Mode, Mean
5 number summary: Sample min, Q1, median, Q3, sample max

Is this correct?

Thanks

[Zealous]

I seem to be a little confused.
Are the 5 summary statistics different to the 5 number summary?
5 summary statistics: median, IQR, Range, Mode, Mean
5 number summary: Sample min, Q1, median, Q3, sample max

Is this correct?

Thanks

If I was asked for a 5 number summary, I'd be looking for the min, Q1, median, Q3 and max. Then the questions following may ask you to calculate other values.

The median, IQR, range, mode and mean are measures of central tendancy and spread. I don't think you'll be asked for "5 summary statistics" in that form.

[mixedtears]

For example: Australia: 450
Iraq: 360
Iran:210
Sudan: 380

Were the GDP. The question is calculate the GDP of a country that would be considered to have a GDP in the top 2.5%.

[~V]

calculate the GDP of a country that would be considered to have a GDP in the top 2.5%

compare z scores of two countries

can anyone help me with these questions? we were just given random data and those question.
(for the 1st one) some people told me to use the bell curve. like, mean+2s others told me to rearrange the z score?

Top 2.5% means 2 standard deviations away from the mean, z score of 2. The z score corresponds to the standard deviation, so if you have a z score of 1.5, it is +1.5s. Tbh, im not sure if i answered your question when i dont really know what you're asking. 

[~V]

how to use the z score to compare data?

for example the question says to compare of australia (-1.04) to the distribution of GDP

I saw all the GDP of other countries in your post but do you have a 'mean'. It only works when you have a mean because z score is x-mean/standard deviation. -1.04 means 1.04 standard deviations below the mean.

[Einstein]

if you've done all the work there is, and your sac is in less then a week do you suggest reading over you bound book etc?

Also between the SACS (because CORE sac is over 5-6 periods) what do i do in between for revision, do i do anything at all? since our teacher takes our bound book as well, personally what did you guys do?

Thank you

[kx4y]

Hi, are there any SAC practice exams that have more difficult questions out there?
I have a SAC on time series coming up and I've finished the revision from my Essentials textbook and related questions from the  2006-2013 VCAA practice exams. I found the questions in both of these resources to be quite easy. Just wondering if there are any more challenging resources that I could use to prepare for my SAC?

[~V]

Um.. you should probably look for company practise exams, like insight, neap, itute, MAV etc. But you should probably keep those for the end of year exams so you have alot to do. By the looks of it, seems like you did heaps already, you should be fine. 

[bellaellaella]

How would you answer a question when asked to describe the features of a scatterplot?

[Einstein]

Form, strength, outliers, direction

[Einstein]

 between the SACS (because CORE sac is over 5-6 periods) what do i do in between for revision, do i do anything at all? since our teacher takes our bound book as well, personally what did you guys do?

[~V]

When doing transition matrices, how do you find initial state if it isn't given to you but the transition matrix is???

[plato]

You must be given one state matrix, otherwise the transition matrix is of no use.
For example, if you are given S₃, you can work forwards and find S₄ by
S₄ = TxS₃

If you wanted to start at S₃ and go backwards to find S₂, you need the inverse of the transition matrix
ie  S₂ = T^-1xS₃

If you wanted to start at S₃ and work back to the initial state matrix S₀, you can use
S₀ = T^-3xS₃

[plato]

I am sorry that you have been so frustrated by the trig module. One good thing about the subject is the choices that are available, except in the Core.

Your hard work appears to have not paid off for you and this leads to a couple of options you may want to consider.  First up, did you fully understand the fundamentals of bearings or the sine and cos rules or has your hard work been directed toward attempting lots of questions wherte you eventually found the correct answer? Unless you have a commitment to, and a process for, gaining complete understanding of the fundamentals of any of the mathematical concepts, you may revisit your frustrations in other topics and modules.

Have you asked your teacher for advice or extra assistance? Are there catch-up classes available at your school? If your confidence in trigonometry has been fully shot, then a good tutor should be able to help you if that is an affordable option.

Another possible alternative could require even more personal determination and hard work, but could be more effective in the long run. You do not have to only study the modules that your school has selected! Discuss this with your teacher! While the Core is compulsory, you can do any three modules you like in either of the two end of year exams. Your school does not get to see what modules you attempt.

If trigonometry is too hard to recover and there is to be no more SACs this year that include trigonometry, you could look at another independently studying a module that your school is not doing.

The Networks module may be the easiest to work on independently for someone whose forte is not mathematics. If your school already includes this module, then you could look forward to greater success in this module. But you must put every effort into complete understanding of every concept within one day of it being introduced in class. Ask questions of your teacher and utilise the fantastic help available in this forum. Look up the great many posts that already exist and where you could find really useful explanations.

Another module that you could find quicker to grasp is Matrices. This does depend a lot on applying matrices on the calculator but, once you have understood what they are, this could be a good option for you.

One final point. You say that Further Maths is a potential pre-requisite for you. Does this mean you must get an "S" or is there a minimum score you may need? If you only need an "S", did you know you do not have to sit either of the two exams and you only need to satisfactorily complete the coursework at school. Discuss this with your teacher if the situation conmtinues to distress you.

I hope you have greater success and reassurance along whichever path you choose to take.