Applied Maths in 4th Year.

ryanmc

I'm definitely thinking of doing Applied Maths for Leaving Cert, as I have an interest in maths and physics, and I'm doing physics for the Leaving Cert. I just finished my JC and I'm going into 4th year now.

If I want to do app. maths, I'll have to do it outside school. A friend of my dad's, who is a teacher said I should start the course in 5th year. However I wouldn't mind starting in TY just to learn earlier, if you get me.

Is there anything prohibiting me starting app. maths in 4th year, or will I have to have a year's worth of Leaving Cert physics done before I can start it?

IrishKnight

I see no problem with starting it now. And methinks you don't need physics for app. maths, it my be useful but is not needed to do the subject.

mrac

Physics isnt needed for app maths, the only downfall i can see is that there are parts of the app mats course that assume youve done lc maths so some of the topics might not be 100% clear until youve done a bit of the maths course in 5th year (algebra, trig and calculus) but theres no reason for you to get a head start on it now.

Fringe

It's not a very long course anyway. You have lots of choices in the exam. I'd say you're better off enjoying 4th year and doing it in 5th year because you'll easily forget everything you've learnt. Also, having the physics makes you understand it much better.

LeixlipRed

Go get the exam papers and buy the LC Honours maths books and start getting into it yourself. If you're talented enough you probably could learn at home with maybe a grind or two thrown in for good measure.

Yakuza

I did App maths (along with about 7 other guys and one very dedicated maths teacher) for 3 years, 3 days a week (30 minute classes, one early morning, two at lunchtime). We pretty much covered the syllabus in two years, leaving the last year for reviewing the syllabus again and blitzing about 10 years of previous examination papers. It's 20 years since I did the leaving cert but having just looked at this year's paper on www.examinations.ie, it looks like the syllabus hasn't changed much...acceleration calculations, relative velocities, projectiles, vectors, oblique collissions, force diagrams, pulleys, buoyancy-type and snazzy calculus (usually involving integration by parts) questions; pretty much the same stuff I studied.

OP: Don't worry if the above terms don't make sense, they will soon enough I would say go for it in 4th year, more time to study something is better than less . You don't need to study Physics to help with App. Maths (but in my experience, the mechanics portion of the Physics syllabus complemented App. Maths), but a general good aptitude for mathematics is pretty much a must, and you'd need to be doing maths at higher level to study App. Maths at higher level. Also, as with Physics, some of the stuff you do for Maths complements what you'll be doing in App. Maths.

A good grasp of algebra is all you need to start on the basic velocity/acceleration type questions, and some trig should get you sorted on projectiles and relative veloclity type questions (splitting something's velocity into two components (like the x-and y-axes), but if you get some advice from someone who actually teaches it these days, they might suggest an order for you to study it in.

Best of luck to you.

Fremen

I'd say give it a miss until you're further in in the maths course. Either that, or be prepared to work very hard on your own. You'll need some stuff which you won't cover in maths until fifth year (for example sine and cosine of angles greater than 90 degrees). Differential calculus will come into it very quickly, too.

Unless you're prepared to learn maybe a quarter of the leaving cert maths course on your own, it's not really feasible. Having said that, studying LC maths on your own IS do-able if you're bright, and will help you no end in fifth and sixth year. I guess it just boils down to how hard you're prepared to work.