ATAR Notes: Forum

HSC Stuff => HSC Subjects + Help => HSC Maths Stuff => Topic started by: dcc on December 13, 2010, 05:30:08 pm

Title: First Post
Post by: dcc on December 13, 2010, 05:30:08 pm
Welcome.
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: Cthulhu on December 13, 2010, 05:30:41 pm
Second post, whats up?
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: pi on December 13, 2010, 07:15:07 pm
Third post, VCE maths is so much cooler (Specialist sound way better than Extension)
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: jimmy999 on December 14, 2010, 02:27:29 pm
Specialist does sound better however they go into more advanced concepts in HSC maths
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: Archimedes on July 09, 2011, 03:29:13 pm
Hey there 5th post.
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: ohexploitable on August 20, 2011, 07:58:35 pm
Third post, VCE maths is so much cooler (Specialist sound way better than Extension)

m8

After having a look at some of your past exams, to be honest, they're not even half the difficulty of ours. Our exams are structured with 8 questions, each increasing in difficulty, your exams are up to question 3 in ours. Also, you seem to only cover half of the topics we do (and the easier ones too).

On top of that you're given a rather comprehensive formula sheet, have multiple choice and are allowed graphing calculators.

Try this: http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/hsc_exams/hsc2010exams/pdf_doc/2010-hsc-exam-mathematics-extension-2.pdf

Go straight to Question 8 lol.
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: acinod on August 20, 2011, 08:12:32 pm
Although I am a VCE student myself, HSC is much better than VCE maths LOL

The maths is better and there's no stupid multiple choice section to test how good you are with a calculator ==
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: luken93 on August 20, 2011, 09:02:00 pm
One thing I find funy though, where is the storyline?

I concur, VCE maths is better, we have Tasmania Jones.
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: jane1234 on August 20, 2011, 10:53:46 pm
One thing I find funy though, where is the storyline?

I concur, VCE maths is better, we have Tasmania Jones.

They got rid of Tasmania Jones last year :(
Replaced him with Victoria Jones instead, his stupid cousin who liked to make statues... :-\
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: taiga on August 20, 2011, 11:07:44 pm
Third post, VCE maths is so much cooler (Specialist sound way better than Extension)

m8

After having a look at some of your past exams, to be honest, they're not even half the difficulty of ours. Our exams are structured with 8 questions, each increasing in difficulty, your exams are up to question 3 in ours. Also, you seem to only cover half of the topics we do (and the easier ones too).

On top of that you're given a rather comprehensive formula sheet, have multiple choice and are allowed graphing calculators.

Try this: http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/hsc_exams/hsc2010exams/pdf_doc/2010-hsc-exam-mathematics-extension-2.pdf

Go straight to Question 8 lol.

This is partially because you have an additional maths level above ours, which is similar to our UMEP/MUEP mathematics, which can be done within the VCE. That said the way it contributes to your score is very different to most other subjects, and it's somewhat viewed as not really being in VCE.

I do think Victoria should get to a higher level maths though, the mathematics which is done in Victoria to enter streams such as engineering (specialist maths) is a joke compared to that of several other countries in the world.
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: ohexploitable on August 20, 2011, 11:19:14 pm
We also something similar called HSC-University Pathways (formerly called Distinction Courses).

For mathematics, students can study either,

- Higher Mathematics 1A (MATH1141), University of New South Wales
- Algebra and Differential Calculus (MATH101), University of New England
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: ohexploitable on August 20, 2011, 11:22:16 pm
I do think Victoria should get to a higher level maths though, the mathematics which is done in Victoria to enter streams such as engineering (specialist maths) is a joke compared to that of several other countries in the world.

Agreed.

All of Australia should get a higher level maths as standard, NSW Extension 2 level is the standard level in many Asian and European countries, currently only around 5% of NSW HSC students study this course :(
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: taiga on August 20, 2011, 11:27:55 pm
I had a friend who used to live in Australia, then moved to India for high school, then came back. He's finding just about everything (except MATLAB) piss easy.

What they cover pre-university for Engineering covers stuff from first (and some cases second) year stuff in University. That's for Maths, Chemistry, Physics, and Biology (yes Biology). I do have some questions from magazines I bought whilst I was over there.
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: paulsterio on September 26, 2011, 09:35:14 pm
Lol, sorry for reviving the thread, but I'm pretty much primed with Specialist Maths because I've been doing so many exams, but I managed to do the HSC Extension 2 Exam up to question 6 basically like I would with a Specialist Exam, it's not that much harder, admittedly, Question 7 I can't do because I'm not up to date with Geometry =.="

BUT WAIT! I just realised there's no Vectors questions and it's just a lot DIFFERENT to Specialist - Not Harder - Like the questions seem to have less of an "Applied" basis than specialist maths and seem to be much more like Exam 1 style questions :\

Hmmm :)
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: luken93 on September 26, 2011, 09:37:57 pm
Lol, sorry for reviving the thread, but I'm pretty much primed with Specialist Maths because I've been doing so many exams, but I managed to do the HSC Extension 2 Exam up to question 6 basically like I would with a Specialist Exam, it's not that much harder, admittedly, Question 7 I can't do because I'm not up to date with Geometry =.="

BUT WAIT! I just realised there's no Vectors questions and it's just a lot DIFFERENT to Specialist - Not Harder - Like the questions seem to have less of an "Applied" basis than specialist maths and seem to be much more like Exam 1 style questions :\

Hmmm :)
Yeah, I noticed that too, kinda strange. I thought spesh had a lot less than methods in terms of stimuli, but HSC takes it to a whole new level, there's no stories at all!
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: paulsterio on September 26, 2011, 10:33:07 pm
I'm gonna be completely honest here, and I will say that I'd rather sit one of these exams rather than an Exam 2

Like seriously, Multiple Choice annoys me (it's like they work out the answer choices to trap you!)
And the Extended Response in Spesh are wordier than here

This is much more like "real maths" - i.e. Exam 1 stuff ;)

In my opinion though, they seem to do more involved calculus, but less kinematics, dynamics and the like
They don't seem to have stuff such as Inverse Trig functions, and Reciprocal Trig functions...etc

It's like saying take the Calculus and Complex Numbers chapters and also a bit of Mechanics from Spesh, blow it up and add more content and you have this - I personally think Specialist Maths is way too wide, it tries to cover too much :S
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: funkyducky on September 26, 2011, 10:58:17 pm
HSC 4 unit Maths > VCE Spesh. They get to do proofs, including induction <3 All we get are vector proofs and trig "proofs". No fun, VCAA :(
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: paulsterio on September 27, 2011, 12:06:18 am
Hmm, but their 4 Unit Maths is like Double Extension - it's their Normal Maths + Extension 1 + Extension 2

Which is more than Methods + Spesh I guess, if you wanna look at it that way :P
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: funkyducky on September 27, 2011, 12:31:52 am
Yeah, good point, but most of the extension 2 t topics are equivalent to spesh. Induction is in 3 unit also, i'm jealous.
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: paulsterio on September 27, 2011, 12:43:35 am
Yeah, good point, but most of the extension 2 t topics are equivalent to spesh. Induction is in 3 unit also, i'm jealous.

LOL, we have Further Maths...which isn't even maths, I think they should move it to like the Humanities Faculty :P
(Sarcasm) :P

But nah, 3 Unit does have Induction
And their standard maths (2 Unit) has Integration by Substituition :P

Oh, and also, they don't seem to have probability? :S
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: Hutchoo on September 27, 2011, 01:00:29 am
Yeah, good point, but most of the extension 2 t topics are equivalent to spesh. Induction is in 3 unit also, i'm jealous.


Oh, and also, they don't seem to have probability? :S
Lucky bastards.
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: abeybaby on September 27, 2011, 01:04:18 am
wait, so which calculators are you allowed to use for HSC exam?
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: paulsterio on September 27, 2011, 01:05:49 am
Yeah, good point, but most of the extension 2 t topics are equivalent to spesh. Induction is in 3 unit also, i'm jealous.


Oh, and also, they don't seem to have probability? :S
Lucky bastards.

I like Probability - on exams it's like easy marks :D

wait, so which calculators are you allowed to use for HSC exam?
LOL! i'm not sure, but it says approved calculators allowed - so I'm guessing probably just scientific calculators - but that doesn't make much sense either...hmm, but they only have one exam though :P
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: funkyducky on September 27, 2011, 10:07:02 am
They're allowed scientific calculators - I've had my ti89 titanium bagged by nsw maths nerds, one of whom proceeded to teach me PMI in about 2 minutes. It's a straightforward process, I don't see why it isn't on our syllabus. Too much applied, not enough pure maths.
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: paulsterio on September 27, 2011, 10:15:09 am
They're allowed scientific calculators - I've had my ti89 titanium bagged by nsw maths nerds, one of whom proceeded to teach me PMI in about 2 minutes. It's a straightforward process, I don't see why it isn't on our syllabus. Too much applied, not enough pure maths.

Oh right then, I still think CAS Calculators have their uses, but definately our maths is too applied, they should split it into two streams a pure maths stream and an applied maths stream

btw, what's PMI?
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: funkyducky on September 27, 2011, 04:39:15 pm
^ Principle of Mathematical Induction :)
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: paulsterio on September 27, 2011, 05:06:53 pm
hahaha, oh right :P fair enough, i usually just call it induction =.="
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: Gloamglozer on September 27, 2011, 05:12:58 pm
I know I'm going to get crucified for saying/doing this but...

*shudders* Pure maths *shudders*
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: paulsterio on September 28, 2011, 11:12:24 am
Well you need pure mathematics in order to have applied mathematics :P

But now that I think about it, high school maths is too shallow to be really considered pure or applied, it's more like foundation work, there's not enough pure elements to consider it pure whilst there's not enough analytical work to consider it applied :P
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: Gloamglozer on September 28, 2011, 11:52:49 am
Well you need pure mathematics in order to have applied mathematics :P

That's very true...  But pure maths...  Let's just say it isn't my favourite cup of tea.

But now that I think about it, high school maths is too shallow to be really considered pure or applied, it's more like foundation work, there's not enough pure elements to consider it pure whilst there's not enough analytical work to consider it applied :P

Put simply, VCE Mathematics is not maths.  :P
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: paulsterio on September 28, 2011, 12:11:58 pm
Well you need pure mathematics in order to have applied mathematics :P

That's very true...  But pure maths...  Let's just say it isn't my favourite cup of tea.

But now that I think about it, high school maths is too shallow to be really considered pure or applied, it's more like foundation work, there's not enough pure elements to consider it pure whilst there's not enough analytical work to consider it applied :P

Put simply, VCE Mathematics is not maths.  :P

Fair enough, you need both pure and applied mathematicians in this world :P

Quote
An employer was wishing to hire a mathematician,
He called up a pure mathematician, an applied mathematician, a physicist and a statistician
He asked them this question: What is 1 divided by 3
Pure Mathematician: that's 1/3 of course
Applied Mathematician: *pulls out calculator* the answer is 0.3333333333333333333333333
Physicist: it's approximately 0.33 with an error of plus or minus 0.005%
Statistician: well, what do you want the answer to be? :P

LOLL!
Title: Re: First Post
Post by: VCE_2012 on February 07, 2012, 08:24:01 pm
LoL, my specialist teacher did HSC back then and says that the specialist equivalent exam is harder compared to a specialist exam.