calculus?!

[Mao]

mmm. okay.
i think i'm following with what you're saying.

one question though,
if we're doing both methods and specialist..
can we use the knowledge of spesh to apply it in methods exams?
such as the second derivative which isn't learn in methods?

I'm getting there!

Lol! okok 

It is ok to use specialist techniques in methods providing the question doesn't specifically ask for a particular method to be used. For example, using the second derivative in place of a sign diagram.

I have heard from teachers that spec and methods get treated very differently in terms of "exotic" methods

in MM, I dont think you are allowed to use non-methods knowledge to answer questions [i.e. if you need to prove the nature of turning points, you are not allowed to use second derivatives]
in SM, however, so long as the question does not specifically ask for it, you are not bound so long as you get the answer [within reason, that is, doing a proof using imaginary numbers for sin(80)=cos(10) is really unecessary ]

however, dont take this as absolute, i can be wrong

[/0]

Can't you just say that you looked at the gradient graph and discovered the second derivative yourself? Sort of like the 'investigation' questions you get in the application task. I mean, there's no 'new' knowledge as such, merely a bit of insight and repeated application of differentiation.