Methods knowledge for Calculus 1

[IntoTheNewWorld]

When I started Uni last year I thought I would never do Maths again in my life, and forgot everything related to Methods. For some strange reason I'm now going to complete a major in B.Sci that requires up to linear algebra. I just looked at the Methods 2009 exam and realised I can't do 99% of the questions, and even at my peak I could only understand half. My friend asked me how do you differentiate y = x and I had no idea. I'm also starting Calculus 1 next week.

Am I screweeeed?

[Russ]

If you can't differentiate y = x, then yeah you're in a fair bit of trouble.

Calc1 is taught pretty solidly though, not being brilliant at maths probably won't be a serious flaw but if it's too tough in the first 2 weeks you might want to consider dropping to the introductory subject

[asa.hoshi]

yes u r. lol!

[Water]

yes u r. lol!

+1, lol at the differentiation.

[pi]

yes u r. lol!

+1, lol at the differentiation.

+2. Once you relearn it though, I'm sure you'll be fine

[IntoTheNewWorld]

=[

What parts of Methods should I cram most in the next few days? (lol) I presume Calculus 1 would focus mainly on calculus, and not have the probability stuff at least.

[pi]

I'd start by cramming learning basic differentiation and even 'rates of change' if you are struggling a bit. You can work straight out of a yr12 text for those things.

If you feel you are really unsure about things, maybe going over some basic algebra exercises might help too.

[Russ]

Cramming won't help you at all if you don't know it, the exam is in 12 weeks not next week.

If you wanted to learn some stuff, I'd recommend functions/relations + trig because if you've forgotten that then nothing is going to make sense to you. The trig relationships for triangles come up a lot, as does Pythagoras + the implications

Don't bother learning calc, it's too hard by yourself if you're not confident and tbh it's taught so much better at uni than high school so if you can't learn it during semester then you won't learn it ever.

[Blakhitman]

this could help

http://vce.atarnotes.com/forum/index.php/topic,38385.0.html

[IntoTheNewWorld]

Thanks guys.

hm I'm going through stuff on Khan Academy, Algebra playlist (fail). Forgot all the graph types and basically all of trig.

I think I've forgotten as much as I have because I didn't really understand it at a deep level when I did Methods anyway - just did practice questions and applied formulas. Did not think that would affect me later on >_>

this could help

http://vce.atarnotes.com/forum/index.php/topic,38385.0.html

Signed up as soon as I saw the email, lol. I'm also hoping my pro maths friends will tutor me.

[Gloamglozer]

For the first tute, you'll be going over circular functions.  Best to get on top of that before your first tute.  The first tute is just revision of Methods.

In the first topic, you learn about cosec, sec and cot and its identities.  Then you go on with arcsin, arccos, arctan.  Then the "hard" bit of implied domain and ranges.  Then you go on to ellipses, hyperbolae.

After all that, you'll go on to the next topic of vectors and from there it just builds up.

So all in all, master circular functions, then go to differentiation and the likes. 

P.S.  The above advice is only useful, of course, if they haven't changed the order of the course since last year.

[Russ]

Doubt it, that was the order we did it in in 2008 and there's really no reason to change it (ie polar is always going to be week 11 etc.)

[Gloamglozer]

Doubt it, that was the order we did it in in 2008 and there's really no reason to change it (ie polar is always going to be week 11 etc.)

Yeah, complex numbers was fun.    Really starts screwing with your mathematical mind if you've never had any exposure to it and Iain Scott made a great soccer analogy with it, haha.  The memories...

[Russ]

I had Deb King, I spent the lecture imagining where else I could be.
Probably explains my exam mark actually.

Actually, that's not true, I really enjoyed complex numbers because it was the reason I loved maths in the first place. There was also the hilarity of watching half the class fail at it, so schadenfreude alert lol

[Gloamglozer]

I had Deb King, I spent the lecture imagining where else I could be.
Probably explains my exam mark actually.

Actually, that's not true, I really enjoyed complex numbers because it was the reason I loved maths in the first place. There was also the hilarity of watching half the class fail at it, so schadenfreude alert lol

haha nice pun. 

I went to one of King's lectures and I thought her lectures were pretty good.  On the other hand, if you went to either of the Alex's...  Then I can understand the meaning of "getting screwed over".