Leaving cert applied maths

Sb567

I'm a ty student and I have a subject problem. I am not the best at maths and I don't hate it but i don't LOVE it either. But I am going to do physics and I'm attempting to do higher maths for lc. I then found out applied maths helps with physics and maths so I'm wondering would it be a stupid idea to do it if I don't love maths and am not the best at it? I got a C in the Jc with I was surprised when I would usually get B's in all exams. Thanks

RS98

Sb567 wrote: »

I'm a ty student and I have a subject problem. I am not the best at maths and I don't hate it but i don't LOVE it either. But I am going to do physics and I'm attempting to do higher maths for lc. I then found out applied maths helps with physics and maths so I'm wondering would it be a stupid idea to do it if I don't love maths and am not the best at it? I got a C in the Jc with I was surprised when I would usually get B's in all exams. Thanks

Don't want to turn you off of applied maths, but I did the LC in 2016 and to be honest, applied maths is pretty much all maths. You don't need to be good at physics to be good at applied maths but you do need to be pretty good at maths. If you're planning on doing HL applied maths, then you'd need to be fairly good at maths. Obviously, stuff like financial maths doesn't come into it at all, but there's a lot of algebra. So if you like algebra and hate financial maths etc, go for it. If you're not a fan of algebra, I'd stay AWAY. Also depends on the teacher you have. If you have a good teacher, you'll find it manageable, as with any subject.

Also, if you're happy with doing OL applied maths, it's pretty easy so go for it. The difference between HL applied maths and OL is substantial. Fire away if you have any questions, I'll try my best to answer.

RS

reason vs religion

Applied Maths helps in that, if you can do it, the mechanics in Physics becomes child's play and, because you get lottts of practice forming and manipulating equations and problem solving, your general maths improves too. But it's probably not a subject you should or could take if you struggle with maths in the first place.

Sb567

RS98 wrote: »

Don't want to turn you off of applied maths, but I did the LC in 2016 and to be honest, applied maths is pretty much all maths. You don't need to be good at physics to be good at applied maths but you do need to be pretty good at maths. If you're planning on doing HL applied maths, then you'd need to be fairly good at maths. Obviously, stuff like financial maths doesn't come into it at all, but there's a lot of algebra. So if you like algebra and hate financial maths etc, go for it. If you're not a fan of algebra, I'd stay AWAY. Also depends on the teacher you have. If you have a good teacher, you'll find it manageable, as with any subject.

Also, if you're happy with doing OL applied maths, it's pretty easy so go for it. The difference between HL applied maths and OL is substantial. Fire away if you have any questions, I'll try my best to answer.

RS

Thanks very much ! Well I actually like algebra and im not very bad at it. I was thinking of just trying it and if I don't like it I can drop it for LCVP but I would really like to do it but it seems Impossible and I just feel like I wouldn't be good enough for it you know? Did you find it really hard ? And are you really good at maths? What other subjects have you done? Thank you!

Sb567

reason vs religion wrote: »

Applied Maths helps in that, if you can do it, the mechanics in Physics becomes child's play and, because you get lottts of practice forming and manipulating equations and problem solving, your general maths improves too. But it's probably not a subject you should or could take if you struggle with maths in the first place.

Well I wouldn't struggle with maths in a sense I mean I'm pretty average at it. I never studied my maths for Jc and I got a C and this year I started studying it and I've been getting B's. I was one of those people who would say "you can't study for maths" What a stupid thing to say haha!!

RS98

Sb567 wrote: »

Thanks very much ! Well I actually like algebra and im not very bad at it. I was thinking of just trying it and if I don't like it I can drop it for LCVP but I would really like to do it but it seems Impossible and I just feel like I wouldn't be good enough for it you know? Did you find it really hard ? And are you really good at maths? What other subjects have you done? Thank you!

I was in the same boat as you for the maths to an extent. I was pretty bad at it in the JC cause we had a sh*te teacher. But with some help I was able to get a B in the JC (mind you I would have done much worse if I hadn't begged my brother to help) . Then we got a good teacher for the LC and I started finding it pretty easy and interesting. I was able to get an A2 in HL for the LC Maths. So if you're getting B's like you said, in HL, you'd be doing pretty well so you must be somewhat good at Maths.

If that's the case, then you'll be able to pull it off for applied Maths I think. I'm sure you know this but, don't think it's an easy subject cause it has a high A rate. That's because the people that do it are usually quite hardworking (which you can be too obviously) . It is however, very interesting. If you go for it, make sure you work hard.

In terms of the actual exam, you've plenty of choice there. There's 10 questions and you'll only answer 6. You'll probably cover 7 or 8 in class so even if you suck at one section, you don't have to panic. For example, I found the hydrostatics hard cause I didn't really pay attention when we were going through it so I didn't do it in the exam. The rest were fine and I was able to get an A2 in the higher level paper. My point is that if you work hard for the majority of it, your grade will reflect that.

Also, very important that you do many many many many (too many many's?) exam questions and verify solutions.

Again, I don't want to turn you off it. It's very manageable if you work in it. Very far from impossible. As a matter of interest, how are you finding calculus? Have ye started it?

RS

reason vs religion

Sb567 wrote: »

Well I wouldn't struggle with maths in a sense I mean I'm pretty average at it. I never studied my maths for Jc and I got a C and this year I started studying it and I've been getting B's. I was one of those people who would say "you can't study for maths" What a stupid thing to say haha!!

It's hard for one who was good at AM to report how difficult the subject is in general because it all seems quite simple. All I can say is that anyone I know who got an A was unequivocally good at maths and most people who got a B were too, just less so. I don't think AM is where you want to be if you're not that keen on maths and I don't know how reliable a measure of your ability B's in transition year are.

I'm not saying don't go for it. But rethink whether you're capable of spending 30+ mins on a single question that you're struggling to get out. And don't do it merely because you think it will improve your maths and physics - it will, but only marginally.

PMBC

reason vs religion wrote: »

It's hard for one who was good at AM to report how difficult the subject is in general because it all seems quite simple. All I can say is that anyone I know who got an A was unequivocally good at maths and most people who got a B were too, just less so. I don't think AM is where you want to be if you're not that keen on maths and I don't know how reliable a measure of your ability B's in transition year are.

I'm not saying don't go for it. But rethink whether you're capable of spending 30+ mins on a single question that you're struggling to get out. And don't do it merely because you think it will improve your maths and physics - it will, but only marginally.

I didn't study it for LC but for college where it was called Maths Physics - it was the application of maths to physics problems. It was supposed to be the most difficult subject at that time. With hard work it is 'doable'. Consider also do you really need to do it; what extra time you spend working hard at it might be better spent at one other or other subjects generally. Finally, how good is the teacher.

reason vs religion

PMBC wrote: »

I didn't study it for LC but for college where it was called Maths Physics - it was the application of maths to physics problems. It was supposed to be the most difficult subject at that time. With hard work it is 'doable'. Consider also do you really need to do it; what extra time you spend working hard at it might be better spent at one other or other subjects generally. Finally, how good is the teacher.

It should be said that the publishing of past papers and marking schemes has somewhat neutered the subject: the course is short, allowing teachers to have their students go through years of past paper questions, effectively rote-learning out some of the difficulty. (This is the LC after all!) But it remains one of the few subjects that, for some people, no matter how much effort is put in, they still struggle to improve.

Sb567

RS98 wrote: »

I was in the same boat as you for the maths to an extent. I was pretty bad at it in the JC cause we had a sh*te teacher. But with some help I was able to get a B in the JC (mind you I would have done much worse if I hadn't begged my brother to help) . Then we got a good teacher for the LC and I started finding it pretty easy and interesting. I was able to get an A2 in HL for the LC Maths. So if you're getting B's like you said, in HL, you'd be doing pretty well so you must be somewhat good at Maths.

If that's the case, then you'll be able to pull it off for applied Maths I think. I'm sure you know this but, don't think it's an easy subject cause it has a high A rate. That's because the people that do it are usually quite hardworking (which you can be too obviously) . It is however, very interesting. If you go for it, make sure you work hard.

In terms of the actual exam, you've plenty of choice there. There's 10 questions and you'll only answer 6. You'll probably cover 7 or 8 in class so even if you suck at one section, you don't have to panic. For example, I found the hydrostatics hard cause I didn't really pay attention when we were going through it so I didn't do it in the exam. The rest were fine and I was able to get an A2 in the higher level paper. My point is that if you work hard for the majority of it, your grade will reflect that.

Also, very important that you do many many many many (too many many's?) exam questions and verify solutions.

Again, I don't want to turn you off it. It's very manageable if you work in it. Very far from impossible. As a matter of interest, how are you finding calculus? Have ye started it?

RS

Thanks very much for the reply! And no we haven't started calculus yet. Why so?

Sb567

reason vs religion wrote: »

It's hard for one who was good at AM to report how difficult the subject is in general because it all seems quite simple. All I can say is that anyone I know who got an A was unequivocally good at maths and most people who got a B were too, just less so. I don't think AM is where you want to be if you're not that keen on maths and I don't know how reliable a measure of your ability B's in transition year are.

I'm not saying don't go for it. But rethink whether you're capable of spending 30+ mins on a single question that you're struggling to get out. And don't do it merely because you think it will improve your maths and physics - it will, but only marginally.

Thanks for the reply! I think I might try it and if I don't like it I can drop it

RS98

Sb567 wrote: »

Thanks very much for the reply! And no we haven't started calculus yet. Why so?

If your teacher decides to do question 10 with ye, it's all integration and differential eqations. So I wanted to know what you thought of calculus cause it might have given an indicator of your level of maths.

It's not that relevant though, so never mind. As you said, if you don't like it, you can always drop it for LCVP.

Whatever you do, good luck.

RS

jeonahr

Was just wondering the same except vice versa. I love maths but I don't get along well with physics just from experience with my science teacher that I had for the JC who had absolutely no clue what she was teaching to us. Would you say I'd be grand with it? I got an A in HL maths for the JC but a B in HL science. I know from my practice exams and mocks that in physics I'd usually get around the 60s range.

VG31

Applied Maths doesn't really have much physics in it. It's far more maths based. It really isn't at all necessary to do physics if you are doing applied maths. There's one or two topics like linear motion where the basic version you learn in physics might give you a slight advantage at the start but that's it.

If you have a good ability at maths you'll probably like and be good at applied maths. If you're not great at physics it doesn't really matter.

Liordi

I find that applied maths helps with physics more than physics helps with applied maths. Some calculations done in applied maths would be done in physics too but at a considerably easier level since OL Maths course has to cover HL Physics course.

RS98

jeonahr wrote: »

Was just wondering the same except vice versa. I love maths but I don't get along well with physics just from experience with my science teacher that I had for the JC who had absolutely no clue what she was teaching to us. Would you say I'd be grand with it? I got an A in HL maths for the JC but a B in HL science. I know from my practice exams and mocks that in physics I'd usually get around the 60s range.

Id agree that applied maths doesn't actually have that much physics in it. And the tiny amount of physics that is in it, you can learn very easily. Youd get on fine in applied maths even if you suck at physics

Also, you might want to know that applied maths does help in university after the leaving cert, if you're doing something like engineering.

RS

jeonahr

How long does it usually take to cover the course? (At least enough for the LC.) I've heard of people doing the subject one day after school or just on the weekends etc. and I was wondering is it possible to get it done and done well if you only have class once or twice a week?

PMBC

Sb567 wrote: »

Thanks very much for the reply! And no we haven't started calculus yet. Why so?

Got a book from library last week that I can recommend. Titled 'Physics for Dummies'. Ive read half of it and its pretty easy. From what I checked online it covers all of the Ordinary Level AM course and would be a good introduction for a novice. I'm planning to give grinds in AM, probably Pass level and just need this as a refresher course (this is not an advertisement); could buy the LC textbook but this is easier.
Best of luck whichever way you go.