Project Maths in a year?

Hi Meller,

For a very simple idea of the course, may I suggest the NCCA information sheet for Parents: http://www.ncca.ie/en/Curriculum_and_Assessment/Post-Primary_Education/Project_Maths/Information_on_Project_Maths/Info_note_for_parents_June_2011.pdf

For resource Material for the Course, I recommend checking out:
http://www.ncca.ie/en/Curriculum_and_Assessment/Post-Primary_Education/Project_Maths/Resources/Project_Maths_student_resource_materials.html

Also, you may find this quite helpful:
http://www.projectmaths.ie/students/cd-strand1and2/default.asp

Textbooks

New Concise Maths: This deals with Strand 1 & 2. It's excellent and currently, to my knowledge, the only textbook available which deals with Strand 1. I think it costs around 15 euro so maybe not worth the investment just yet unless you are certain you're repeating.

Texts & Texts 4: Project Maths Supplement: This deals with Strand 2 only. It's also excellent and costs, if I recall correctly, 5 euro in Easons. So it might be good to pick that up just to take a look.



Rough Breakdown
Strand 1: Probability & Statistics

In Probability, I would suggest half your work is done if you have covered the old course. You will have to learn some new concepts; Bernoulli Trials, Probability Distribution, Venn Diagrams etc. but much of that is complimentary to Stats.

In Statistics, I would say only a quarter of your work is done in the old course. (With Mean & Standard Deviation and a good knowledge of some parts covered in J.C) Here there is much more to do. You will need to pay special attention to points such as Hypothesis Testing, but also understanding Statistical Distributions and how they look. This will probably require much of your time.

Strand 2: Geometry and Trigonometry

Trigonometry: I would say you've covered at least 2/3 of this module. Much of the basics are still the same. However, you will need to understand how functions look on a graph, periods. You still need to be able to derive Trig Functions.

Coordinate Geometry: I would say this is very similar. I would say you've covered over 2/3 with the Line and the Circle. However, Coordinate Geometry does not seem to be as important in the exam as Synthetic Geometry (at least in terms of marks).

Synthetic Geometry: You wont have seen this before. Unless you did Technical Graphics for Junior Cert or something in that area. There are 20 Constructions you need to be able to do (15 would have been from Junior Cert). Also, an understanding of a large number of Geometric rules to do with lines, circles and so on will be required. Again some of this you will have covered at Junior Cert. But how much you remember may be the problem. Also, there are 3 proofs required here. (Which isn't too much really).

To answer your particular question, I think it will be more difficult for you to repeat this year then if you would have had to repeat last year. That much is true. However, I don't think it will be much more difficult.

To summarise, about half the old course (for Paper 2) is relevant and all the old course for Paper 1 is relevant. I hope that offers you some encouragement.

Cillian