conundrum

[giveup]

This post is in tl;dr format because it is somewhat convoluted

>Career choices all require methods: mechanical engineering, video game animation, Melbourne model science
>Don't do methods
>Plan to do methods following the year of my VCE graduation
>Currently doing further, no-longer have an application for this subject if I do methods, it also bores me to death.
>Wondering if I should no-longer do further and instead take up philosophy by distant ed or perhaps do 4 subjects.
>I'm likely to really enjoy philosophy but can also imagine myself scoring low without 1&2.

>Don't know whether I can even learn the 1&2 methods course during the holidays.
>In the event that I'm not passing methods. I'm left with no career paths because further acted as a safety net (is a prereq for a course that I somewhat like)
>Also, it will be a loss of motivation during the year knowing I have to do another year of VCE
>If I were to score high enough on my ATAR I would also do physics, which would render both further and philosophy useless as a 7th subject. This however, is very unlikely.

I suppose what I'm asking is:
How difficult would it be to learn units 1&2 of methods in 7 weeks time?
If I am to do philosophy through distance ed, will this be a drag having to travel to SACs? will it be harder to learn the subject?











 

[dc302]

Don't worry, methods 1-2 and 3-4 are very similar. I'd say maybe 60-70% same content, so you should definitely be fine if you work hard.

[Phy124]

Learning Methods 1&2 in 7 weeks is very achievable if you work hard. A lot of the stuff you learn in 1&2 is just to provide a foundation for 3&4 and the harder parts from 1&2 will be gone over again in 3&4.

I believe some university students have to do the 3&4 specialist course in about this amount of time if they hadn't previously studied it and they need it for their course.

As for philosophy, I'm unsure of the logistics of distance education, but if you attended a local tutor it may be significantly easier and if it is a subject you enjoy you may have the will to study it, despite the conditions.

[Special At Specialist]

I'm in a very similar position to you.
I am giving up chemistry (not doing any sciences at all) because, although chemistry was a prerequisite for a lot of things, I could not stand to do chemistry because I found it so incredibly boring.
Me and my friend (both from Flinders) are doing 3/4 philosophy via distance ed next year without doing 1/2. We thought that we would enjoy it and probably get a much higher atar score by doing it.

It's better to do a subject which you enjoy than to do what is a prerequisite. If you don't do maths methods, you can always do a bridging course later, but if you score a low atar score, then you're probably worse off.

[giveup]

When a course states that methods is required without mention of a study score, is that to say only a pass is needed?
If a pass isn't difficult then I may do 6 subjects this year, do you think that would be too much of a work load?

[Special At Specialist]

Generally they require a 25 study score to count as a "pass".
I'm not sure about doing 6 subjects next year... I was considering doing that as well, but I think the workload would be quite severe so I decided not to.

I would probably reccomend against it. Is there any other subject that you would consider changing to maths methods?

[dc302]

When a course states that methods is required without mention of a study score, is that to say only a pass is needed?
If a pass isn't difficult then I may do 6 subjects this year, do you think that would be too much of a work load?

If all you want is a 25 in methods then 6 subject is probably not too much work. But then again, this is a highly subjective question so we don't really know how well/much you can work.

[giveup]

I downloaded 1&2 methods in pdf format.  Having set out to complete the first chapter, I've seriously got my doubts.
I'm fine with this question: 4x + 3 = 3x - 5, I recognize that the number must be negative because of the right hand side and there is only a single difference in pronumeral... so x= -8
But then I look at the worked example: 4x - 3x + 3 - 3 = 3x - 3x - 5 - 3, the same answer is given but there is no indication of how they came to doing this and it doesn't reflect what I had done.

Just wondering if there is a textbook that is suited to people who follow verbal step-by-step reasoning, if that makes any sense?

[Special At Specialist]

I downloaded 1&2 methods in pdf format.  Having set out to complete the first chapter, I've seriously got my doubts.
I'm fine with this question: 4x + 3 = 3x - 5, I recognize that the number must be negative because of the right hand side and there is only a single difference in pronumeral... so x= -8
But then I look at the worked example: 4x - 3x + 3 - 3 = 3x - 3x - 5 - 3, the same answer is given but there is no indication of how they came to doing this and it doesn't reflect what I had done.

Just wondering if there is a textbook that is suited to people who follow verbal step-by-step reasoning, if that makes any sense?

You just solved the equation by logic. Your method is fine, but when doing much more complex equations, sometimes it gets a lot easier to solve it their way.
What they did was:
4x + 3 = 3x - 5
Subtract 3 from both sides of the equation.
4x = 3x - 8
Subtract 3x from both sides of the equation.
x = -8

[WonderBunny]

If you do distance ed, you can sit your SACs at your own school. I did Eng Lang by distance this year and I sat the exam and all the SACs at the CAE (my school).
If you do decide to do philosophy, don't worry about not doing 1&2. I just did 3&4 and I scored well.

[giveup]

I downloaded 1&2 methods in pdf format.  Having set out to complete the first chapter, I've seriously got my doubts.
I'm fine with this question: 4x + 3 = 3x - 5, I recognize that the number must be negative because of the right hand side and there is only a single difference in pronumeral... so x= -8
But then I look at the worked example: 4x - 3x + 3 - 3 = 3x - 3x - 5 - 3, the same answer is given but there is no indication of how they came to doing this and it doesn't reflect what I had done.

Just wondering if there is a textbook that is suited to people who follow verbal step-by-step reasoning, if that makes any sense?

You just solved the equation by logic. Your method is fine, but when doing much more complex equations, sometimes it gets a lot easier to solve it their way.
What they did was:
4x + 3 = 3x - 5
Subtract 3 from both sides of the equation.
4x = 3x - 8
Subtract 3x from both sides of the equation.
x = -8

This is probably really stupid to say. but there is nothing clear cut about 4x - 3x + 3 - 3 = 3x - 3x - 5 - 3. Your example is far more understandable, I really can't see why they display it like they do.
Is there a textbook that I'd be better off with?

[Special At Specialist]

My order from best to worst goes:
1. Essential
2. MathsWorld
3. MathsQuest
4. Heinemann
Those are the only 4 maths textbooks I've tried using.

[synchronise3]

Essentials is pretty hard compared to rest so don't let it get you down.