WoW

[Mao]

mathematics is not that scary...

first year calculus is very achievable in middle-school if the student has the passion, and the aptitude to handle symbolic manipulations, and all that comes from a solid primary education.

Yeah, years nine and ten mathematics was such a waste of time. I think the idea of solid foundations are taken too seriously. Things like calculus are not difficult, as soon as you learn gradients and polynomials the first time you can get calculus. They just hold it back from you.

actually, it has not been taken seriously enough, particularly in the primary level.
Algebra need to be introduced early! and a solid base in handling symbols need to be established before anyone should learn calculus... otherwise it's just like dummies following procedures...

[Collin Li]

I agree, maths is too easy in primary school (was for me at least).

Having said that, one size does not fit all. There should be different maths classes for students with different abilities.

[midas_touch]

*shock*
awwws, i'm shattered

Poor Amy

Hehe thanks Monica Your the best !!
And i hope ur directing that at midas_touch lol

What did I do to receive such unkind treatment?

[NE2000]

mathematics is not that scary...

first year calculus is very achievable in middle-school if the student has the passion, and the aptitude to handle symbolic manipulations, and all that comes from a solid primary education.

Yeah, years nine and ten mathematics was such a waste of time. I think the idea of solid foundations are taken too seriously. Things like calculus are not difficult, as soon as you learn gradients and polynomials the first time you can get calculus. They just hold it back from you.

actually, it has not been taken seriously enough, particularly in the primary level.
Algebra need to be introduced early! and a solid base in handling symbols need to be established before anyone should learn calculus... otherwise it's just like dummies following procedures...

Yeah I agree that there needs to be more taught at the primary level, they basically don't go further than the most basic of basics. But I was more referring to the secondary level. I believe a year nine student <i>can</i> handle basic differentiation as long as they understand polynomials, algebra, and ideas about gradients and rates.

Similarly, in year eleven they don't teach you the chain rule, product rule etc. but why not? It's not as if the concept is too difficult to get your head around. You learn antidifferentiation but you don't learn its applications and uses to find area bounded by the graph and the x-axis (btw this is based on Maths Quest 11 Mathematical Methods). I just think that where the course can take that one step further it doesn't. But that's just my opinion.

[Mao]

Similarly, in year eleven they don't teach you the chain rule, product rule etc. but why not? It's not as if the concept is too difficult to get your head around. You learn antidifferentiation but you don't learn its applications and uses to find area bounded by the graph and the x-axis (btw this is based on Maths Quest 11 Mathematical Methods). I just think that where the course can take that one step further it doesn't. But that's just my opinion.

mmm, in most schools at year 11, you do learn the chain rule, product rule, using antidifferentiation to find areas (and even between graphs)

[cara.mel]

Chain and product rule are in MM34
Linear graphs are first introduced in year 9 (and quadratics). Higher degree polynomials come in either year 10 or MM12 (I didn't do year 10 maths)


All I remember about grade 6 maths is lots of doing + - * / by hand. And Bodmas.
However I saw long division for the first time in my life in year 10

[excal]

I was told that a lot of primary schools neglect long division, only to bite back come division of polynomials.

(Thankfully, I was taught it! I'm too old!)

Although, I think [b]synthetic division[/b] is a much neater way of doing it.

[ninwa]

my parents + chinese primary school maths textbooks taught me long division xD

[ed_saifa]

I thought long division was taught in year 4.

[lacoste]

in other countries such as China, Japan etc
i think they kids learn methods 3/4 in year 10, dont quote me though ... but its something like that

edit: or year 9??

[NE2000]

Similarly, in year eleven they don't teach you the chain rule, product rule etc. but why not? It's not as if the concept is too difficult to get your head around. You learn antidifferentiation but you don't learn its applications and uses to find area bounded by the graph and the x-axis (btw this is based on Maths Quest 11 Mathematical Methods). I just think that where the course can take that one step further it doesn't. But that's just my opinion.

mmm, in most schools at year 11, you do learn the chain rule, product rule, using antidifferentiation to find areas (and even between graphs)

lol really? Oh well, I had to go and teach myself, but the fact that it was simple made me believe that it is folly not to include it in the textbooks for year 11s.

[Flaming_Arrow]

i learnt long division this year.

[humph]

I was told that a lot of primary schools neglect long division, only to bite back come division of polynomials.

(Thankfully, I was taught it! I'm too old!)

Although, I think [b]synthetic division[/b] is a much neater way of doing it.

Synthetic division (or a variant thereof) is what I always use to divide polynomials. They taught us how to do long division again in yr10 but I never bothered learning because the way I did it seemed much easier...

[bubble sunglasses]

   I remember in yr 6 I was doing operations of fractions hw on the bus; a yr 12 student said "shit, i only learnt that stuff in yr 11"

[cara.mel]

Whats operations of fractions

you are all making me jealous with how much maths you learnt
I just sit there bored

At least now I can learn 2nd year maths and first year maths both in one year it is fun