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Applied Maths as an extra subject?

  • 10-09-2008 10:10am
    #1
    koolkakool
    Closed Accounts Posts: 74 ✭✭


    I dont know if its a bit early to be thinking about this, but i was thinking about doing Applied Maths as an extra subject.
    I just started fifth year, i'm doing Physics, German, Economics, Business and of course English, Irish and Maths. (all higher level)

    So I was just wondering what the subject's like... and if i could take it up by myself.

    thanks :)


Comments

  • #2
    Cokehead Mother
    Closed Accounts Posts: 773 ✭✭✭Cokehead Mother


    Applied Maths is basically concerned with the question 'what happens when forces act on objects?'. If that interests you, then yay. If not, I think you should just do the subject anyway. You can look at the exam papers on examinations.ie to get some idea of what the subject entails.

    I took it up at the start of 5th year, self-teaching it and found it really boring and difficult. So I kept putting it off and by the end of the year I had basically only covered two chapters properly. Then January 2008 rolls round and my school tells me I'll be sitting an applied maths mock in 7 weeks. I had previously assured my guidance counsellor I was making excellent progress in the subject, so I got out the book and in a few weeks went from a E to a B3. Got an A2 in the real thing. The course is really really short. There's 10 questions, you answer 6 (In regular maths you answer 12 altogether).

    If you got an A in the maths junior cert without too much effort you should be able to get an A1 in applied maths, assuming you actually cover 6 topics properly, and I reccommend you do because no amount of hoping a wedge doesn't come up in Q4 will stop that wedge coming up and ****ing you over.

    Just the get book (Fundamental Applied Mathematics by Oliver Murphy) and start working. If you need help, just ask here or on one of the many forums around for maths/physics help.


  • #3
    koolkakool
    Closed Accounts Posts: 74 ✭✭koolkakool


    yeah, i got an A in maths in the Junior cert. and thanks very much for the help :D i'll definitely consider doing it, hopefully it'll cover one of my weaker subjects like irish or english.

    thanks again :)


  • #4
    Davidius
    Registered Users Posts: 4,893 ✭✭✭Davidius


    I say you should take it up. Providing you're good at maths/problem solving it's pretty much an extra subject with all the benefits and a lot less of the added stress. It can actually be pretty helpful if you do Physics.

    I wouldn't know anything about taking it by yourself, but I've heard that plenty of people do very well without a teacher anyhow. It's a short course so you could easily fit it into your schedule.


  • #5
    ichbinsmg
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3 ✭ichbinsmg


    I did it as an extra subject at the institute, the teacher is the guy who wrote the book. He was excellent, probably the best teacher I've ever had. If you're willing to pay, even for only 6th year, he should get you 80 points plus in the leaving. Of course, I never tried doing it on my own, so I can't comment on that.


  • #6
    DanOB
    Closed Accounts Posts: 396 ✭✭DanOB


    ichbinsmg wrote: »
    I did it as an extra subject at the institute, the teacher is the guy who wrote the book. He was excellent, probably the best teacher I've ever had. If you're willing to pay, even for only 6th year, he should get you 80 points plus in the leaving. Of course, I never tried doing it on my own, so I can't comment on that.
    what was his name? im going there now for 5th nd 6th


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  • #7
    Piano man
    Registered Users Posts: 65 ✭✭Piano man


    Oliver Murphy is the guy's name. He has a website with loads of useful tips and stuff on the Applied Maths course. Another good tip source is thephysicsteacher.com website.

    I'm just finished the Leaving Cert having done Physics Maths and Applied Maths all at Honours level. They go well together and I found that the mechanics part of Physics barely needed to be studied at all because you're doing it in such detail in the App Maths course.

    I was expecting an A1 in all three but of course there's never any guarantee. Physics was grand, Maths was two points off out of six hundred but it'll prob go up on recheck but App Maths dropped a full grade because I read the easiest question on the paper wrong. Goes to show how easily things can change in the LC! So for anyone taking up Applied Maths, good luck, cos its not easy. ;)


  • #8
    Delphi91
    Registered Users Posts: 1,501 ✭✭✭Delphi91


    Cokehead Mother wrote: »
    ...If you got an A in the maths junior cert without too much effort you should be able to get an A1 in applied maths, assuming you actually cover 6 topics properly...

    One of the most unusual comments I've come across in a while!

    You can get an A1 in ANY suject if you study the required elements properly. Not sure it has anything to do with getting an A at Junior Cert though.


  • #9
    TheDriver
    Registered Users Posts: 12,384 ✭✭✭✭TheDriver


    An A in JC Maths can mean you learnt your stuff off by heart but its a good start, having said that it may not be for you either so play it by ear. Its short and to the point as a subject and can be interesting but be careful, it ain't easy.


  • #10
    sd123
    Closed Accounts Posts: 534 ✭✭✭sd123


    koolkakool wrote: »
    I dont know if its a bit early to be thinking about this, but i was thinking about doing Applied Maths as an extra subject.
    I just started fifth year, i'm doing Physics, German, Economics, Business and of course English, Irish and Maths. (all higher level)

    So I was just wondering what the subject's like... and if i could take it up by myself.

    thanks :)


    Mods, could this thread, or something similar be stickied cos seems that every second post nowaday is regarding doing Applied maths on your own, and/or in one year. :D

    It's definitely doable on your own, but will take alot of dedication, ie going home every night, doing all your homework, and then taking out your AM book religiously and learning from it. I'd recommend not doing all those subjects at higher level either tbh. It's just extra strain.


  • #11
    eZe^
    Registered Users Posts: 7,046 ✭✭✭eZe^


    I thought myself honours applied math from the start of 6th year to the exams, did an hour or two a week on my own with the textbook, then did exam problems. Had 8 topics covered well, ended up an A1 in it. It's very doable if you are a good problem solver, being able to imagine the set up of each problem I thought was the most important part. Visualising the words in each problem so they actually form a physical picture of the problem makes most of the questions way way simpler.


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