TR071: Mathematics

Anderson0702 · 22-08-2015 4:32pm #1

Hi,
I've been accepted into the TCD science course and am kind of worried about my module choices.
In 6th year Maths turned out the be my favorite subject and I did quite well in it (A2) so I assumed id want to do the mathematics module but recently I've heard people saying that it is extremely difficult or to use their words "An absolute bitch."
I know secondary school maths is pretty much nothing compared to 3rd level maths but I thought I'd be fine if I just worked at it.

Anyway what I'm wondering is, is it as bad as people say it is? Would it hinder my other modules with the amount of work in it?

Thanks.

qweerty · 22-08-2015 5:10pm

Anderson0702 wrote: »

Hi,
I've been accepted into the TCD science course and am kind of worried about my module choices.
In 6th year Maths turned out the be my favorite subject and I did quite well in it (A2) so I assumed id want to do the mathematics module but recently I've heard people saying that it is extremely difficult or to use their words "An absolute bitch."
I know secondary school maths is pretty much nothing compared to 3rd level maths but I thought I'd be fine if I just worked at it.

Anyway what I'm wondering is, is it as bad as people say it is? Would it hinder my other modules with the amount of work in it?

Thanks.

What modules do you intend to take in first year? Maths is a requirement for Physics (which, in turn, is a requirement for the two physics specialisations).

Maths is certainly more difficult than the other maths module. (Maths Methods, or whatever it's called.) But it's not that difficult. Think it of as being the difference between Ordinary and Higher LC Maths - some people doing Ordinary will have you believe that one has to be a genius at maths to take Higher. Obviously that's not true, and nor is it in the case for TR071 first-year Maths. I found that the lectures, particularly calculus, can be quite difficult to follow. (In fact, I would advise not trying particularly hard to follow in lectures, and instead to take notes and try to understand when studying later.) But once you get used to the pace of lectures, the material isn't particularly tough. With an A2, you should absolutely be fine.

Anderson0702 · 22-08-2015 5:48pm

qweerty wrote: »

What modules do you intend to take in first year? Maths is a requirement for Physics (which, in turn, is a requirement for the two physics specialisations).

Maths is certainly more difficult than the other maths module. (Maths Methods, or whatever it's called.) But it's not that difficult. Think it of as being the difference between Ordinary and Higher LC Maths - some people doing Ordinary will have you believe that one has to be a genius at maths to take Higher. Obviously that's not true, and nor is it in the case for TR071 first-year Maths. I found that the lectures, particularly calculus, can be quite difficult to follow. (In fact, I would advise not trying particularly hard to follow in lectures, and instead to take notes and try to understand when studying later.) But once you get used to the pace of lectures, the material isn't particularly tough. With an A2, you should absolutely be fine.

I haven't fully thought it through yet but I was planning on taking Maths, Biology 1101, chemistry 1101+1102. I know this doesnt add to 60 credits but I'm still trying to decide fully.

One other question which may be a bit dumb: Since I chose my leaving cert subjects I've always regretted not taking physics. I was wondering if I took the physics module would I be an idiot? I'd love to do physics but I dont want to if its going to mess everything else up.

Thanks for the help, definitely going to choose Maths then.

not a morning person · 22-08-2015 6:01pm

Go for it.

If it's something you're passionate about, it would be crazy to not do it because you're afraid of not being able to handle it. The fact that you're apprehensive about it actually indicates that you're in the right frame of mind to tackle something new and challenging.

There's plenty of good tutors available to give grinds if you're struggling. My advice is to get grinds from an early stage if you're having trouble. My friend struggled with physics in his JF year and he ended up graduating with a first class honours in astrophysics.

qweerty · 22-08-2015 7:56pm

I'm not sure what consequences it would have on second year choices. Iirc, it would be quite unusual to do the physic modules without having done the subject at school. (More usual would be not having done Higher Maths.) But it wouldn't in any way hold you back. I found the first term (motion, waves and astrophysics) to be a lot more interesting than the second, but it clashes with Biology I. Tbh, Trinity Science is a bit restrictive, so in reality you can't combine more than two of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. I guess you could take Physics for Life Sciences in the second semester (I don't know anything about it), as Biology II is only a prerequisite for Environmental Sciences, Plant Sciences and Zoology. Be aware, though, that you are losing those options without gaining any others.

Anderson0702 · 22-08-2015 8:43pm

qweerty wrote: »

I'm not sure what consequences it would have on second year choices. Iirc, it would be quite unusual to do the physic modules without having done the subject at school. (More usual would be not having done Higher Maths.) But it wouldn't in any way hold you back. I found the first term (motion, waves and astrophysics) to be a lot more interesting than the second, but it clashes with Biology I. Tbh, Trinity Science is a bit restrictive, so in reality you can't combine more than two of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. I guess you could take Physics for Life Sciences in the second semester (I don't know anything about it), as Biology II is only a prerequisite for Environmental Sciences, Plant Sciences and Zoology. Be aware, though, that you are losing those options without gaining any others.

Yeah I've thought about it a bit more and I think I would be happy with maths, bio 1+2 and chem 1+2. I like physics but I feel like it would be better if I kept it as a kind of hobby instead of trying to jumpstart an education in it.

Thanks both of you for the advice!

qweerty · 22-08-2015 9:18pm

Anderson0702 wrote: »

Yeah I've thought about it a bit more and I think I would be happy with maths, bio 1+2 and chem 1+2. I like physics but I feel like it would be better if I kept it as a kind of hobby instead of trying to jumpstart an education in it.

Thanks both of you for the advice!

The physics of motion is basically just LC Applied Maths, so pick up a copy of a textbook for that if you're interested. The astrophysics was just a series of a-little-bit-more-involved Brian Cox lectures, so can be somewhat replicated by popular science books and documentaries! As well as that, the online lectures from American universities should be more than enough to quench your interest.

stealinhorses · 22-08-2015 9:46pm

With an A2 in LC honours maths you should not be worried whatsoever about the maths modules in first year. You do have to put in a bit of work, but if you go to all the tutorials and do past papers coming up to exams you'll ace it.

To put things into perspective, I did OL maths for my LC and ended up with an average above 90% in both my JF and SF maths exams. Most of my friends who did do HL ended up with similar grades.

However, I wouldn't take physics modules just to try them, as they might clash with prerequisites for biology etc that you will need for 3rd and 4th year!

Polka_Dot · 25-08-2015 9:46pm

You'll be fine for the maths module! As said, some of the lecturers can be difficult to follow but you'll have weekly tutorials which will help a lot. If, worst case scenario, you do find it tough, you can just do one semester of it and then change your second semester module to either geology or foundation physics.

As above, I wouldn't advise doing physics just to try it out if you're uncertain about it. You'll limit yourself in terms of 3rd/4th year options. If you are interested you could always do the foundation physics module in 2nd semester instead of Bio 2 or maths 2 since bio 2 isn't a prerequisite for many subjects and maths 2 isn't a prerequisite for any except physics (which you won't be qualified to do anyway!)

Yv · 30-08-2015 9:50pm

Well I don't think I'm up to A2 Honours LC Maths standard right now & I'll be taking maths too, so you can consider me the canary in the coal mine

I was also pretty worried about this when I went to the open day but the students who gave the physics tour assured me that the maths was very manageable, particularly if you've done honours for your LC.

One thing I'd recommend looking at to maybe get a rough feel of what the other subjects are like is Khan Academy - it's mainly a resource for learning maths (an excellent one at that) but there are some great sections on the major science subjects. Spend a couple of days going through the first few hours of videos on each one & that'll give you a decent feel. If you are toying with the idea of studying physics, the Institute of Physics has a really great website with loads of career profiles etc: http://www.iop.org/

Eh... see you in a few weeks I guess!

Anderson0702 · 01-09-2015 2:27pm

Yv wrote: »

Well I don't think I'm up to A2 Honours LC Maths standard right now & I'll be taking maths too, so you can consider me the canary in the coal mine I was also pretty worried about this when I went to the open day but the students who gave the physics tour assured me that the maths was very manageable, particularly if you've done honours for your LC.

One thing I'd recommend looking at to maybe get a rough feel of what the other subjects are like is Khan Academy - it's mainly a resource for learning maths (an excellent one at that) but there are some great sections on the major science subjects. Spend a couple of days going through the first few hours of videos on each one & that'll give you a decent feel. If you are toying with the idea of studying physics, the Institute of Physics has a really great website with loads of career profiles etc: http://www.iop.org/

Eh... see you in a few weeks I guess!

Thanks! Already in the process of going through Khans Maths section and Ill be sure to take a look at the sciences too. See you on the 21st!

uwotm8Mick · 01-09-2015 7:00pm

Mullo would be proud ;D #tulip4life

See you on the 21st!

Michael G.

Anderson0702 · 01-09-2015 8:32pm

uwotm8Mick wrote: »

Mullo would be proud ;D #tulip4life

See you on the 21st!

Michael G.

Thanks Michael! Going to miss the tulip enriched atmosphere now

#tulip4life
See you there!

TR071: Mathematics

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