General Thoughts: Mathematics (3 Viewers)

[kate3]

i hope you all know that the board of studies does take into account the difficulty of the test and depending on this, they will scale it... most likely this year they will scale EVERYONE UP! so dont worry

 

[MichaelSy]

hope so thats what i did lol

I did aswell.

The splitting of the triangle - isn't that a brain teaser question? lol.

Actually this was a brain teaser. It wasn't its own question. It was part E of a question which means you needed to refer to the original material given. Which was funnily enough the second half the triangle. From the material given you needed to draw in 2 other triangles. Something you'd expect in an IQ test not a maths exam. It tests ZILCH from anything learn't in the past 24 months.

M

 

[16021991]

Re: BOS has really fucked up this year WTF WAS THAT

I'm sooooo very glad I'm not the only one. The exam was Fucked to the MAX! Almost shat myself in there.

I thought I was going to do well after I actually recognised the types of questions during reading time....which was surprising in itself!!....I was swiftly corrected....

I wanted to cry in the exam room (but it was only me and 3 supervisors - who knows why there were 3 just for 1 person) but held it in till I got home....

Sent the "I'm out of my maths exam email" - basically said 'I don't want to talk about it'.

The 2 things making me feel better:
1. NEVER HAVE TO DO MATHS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2. I feel good about my Business Studies exam and I'm going to blitz Economics (positive thinking!) which will make up for my lack of math skills.

I'm glad not everyone on here is like "Oh it was a breeze"

 

[absorber]

2009 was HARD.

I speak on the half of a 2 unit candidate not 3. Hopefully there is some concilation for being a 2 unit student and not a 3? This exam was definately written to test 3 unit students.

Q.1 First of all, the put a sketching question in Q1. The first time ever. They also coupled this question with a tanget question involving exponentials. Combining two chapters into one and we are only in Q1. Also they put a trigonometric question into Q1!!!!

Q2 Was sensible, still the Sigma Notation was confusing at first look. Q2 was faily balanced. There was difficulty though with Integration being pushed to the limit.

Q3. Was easy. They completely cut down this year on Coordinate Geometry! A difficult Simpsons rule question which some may have found unfair.

Q4. Involving discriminants was failrly easily with the First geometric queston asking you to prove triangles. My favourite (which I got wrong) was to ask you to draw 4 iso triangles out of 1. Pity that I didn't use the example above which is what they wanted you to do.

Q5. This was hard for 4 marks using the X and Y intercepts in Geometry. As for the probability question, that was confusing. The wording was confusing and could have been used better. And of course the clincher involving area of segment. This was still difficult as they included heavy trigonometric identities in.

Q6. Fair but tricky Volume question, no complaints. EVERY year there is a question involving growth and decay. This year they tried to spice it up BIG TIME. They used fractions, complicated language and did not give the value of A,Q nor K. This was a very difficult decay question, definately the hardest to date. Part C was just ridiculously stupid. They gave a ridiculous question involving theme park rides which just confused the hell out of everyone and really only involved simultaneous equations.

Q7. A difficult but reasonable Velocity question. Where this question varies greatly compared to other years is the inclusion of Exponentials, Algebra and Quadratic Subsition. There was A LOT of content hidden very well in this question. I am not even going to begin on Part B, this was confusing from the Get go.

Q8. Easier than 6 and 7, involved a little sketching etc. The financial question was over worded but fair.

Q9. Very very hard probability question + A completely fucking stupidly worded Maximum and Minimum problem. Definately orientated to 3 unit students, the differentiation required was fucked.

Q10. Not Attempted - Was told that it wasn't as hard as previous years.

What made this test the hardest this century: Very very very wordy questions, a lot more emphasis on the scenario of the question (possibly a different author). The wierd and bizzare mix-match of topics and they way in which they were hidden. The ammount of work relative to the marks were completely miss judged, no one had enough time. The removal of the typical stationary point question and having that spread all over the exam was a bad move.

The most Difficult Exam Paper post 1999?
2009.
M

Because we all know how hard it is to use Simpson's Rule, which is also a component of the General Maths course, let alone the difficulties involved in sketching y-2x=3. Definitely 3 unit stuff.

 

[wsm91]

lol paper was pretty easier, school average should be around 85 percent..but i go to a school ranked 5th in state.

 

[electrolysis]

Jeebus our minds are very alike. I quickly checked the exam paper just now and those are almost exactly the same ones I had problems with. High five lol.

Haha, *high fives back*
I feel crap for leaving out a part as early as question 4 though >.>

 

[possessionless]

Haha, *high fives back*
I feel crap for leaving out a part as early as question 4 though >.>

dont worry so did i

 

[Mattww]

Yeah haha. It's like daily amnesia or something? Lol.

 

[Nelson.]

2009 was HARD.

I speak on the half of a 2 unit candidate not 3. Hopefully there is some concilation for being a 2 unit student and not a 3? This exam was definately written to test 3 unit students.

Q.1 First of all, the put a sketching question in Q1. The first time ever. They also coupled this question with a tanget question involving exponentials. Combining two chapters into one and we are only in Q1. Also they put a trigonometric question into Q1!!!!

Q2 Was sensible, still the Sigma Notation was confusing at first look. Q2 was faily balanced. There was difficulty though with Integration being pushed to the limit.

Q3. Was easy. They completely cut down this year on Coordinate Geometry! A difficult Simpsons rule question which some may have found unfair.

Q4. Involving discriminants was failrly easily with the First geometric queston asking you to prove triangles. My favourite (which I got wrong) was to ask you to draw 4 iso triangles out of 1. Pity that I didn't use the example above which is what they wanted you to do.

Q5. This was hard for 4 marks using the X and Y intercepts in Geometry. As for the probability question, that was confusing. The wording was confusing and could have been used better. And of course the clincher involving area of segment. This was still difficult as they included heavy trigonometric identities in.

Q6. Fair but tricky Volume question, no complaints. EVERY year there is a question involving growth and decay. This year they tried to spice it up BIG TIME. They used fractions, complicated language and did not give the value of A,Q nor K. This was a very difficult decay question, definately the hardest to date. Part C was just ridiculously stupid. They gave a ridiculous question involving theme park rides which just confused the hell out of everyone and really only involved simultaneous equations.

Q7. A difficult but reasonable Velocity question. Where this question varies greatly compared to other years is the inclusion of Exponentials, Algebra and Quadratic Subsition. There was A LOT of content hidden very well in this question. I am not even going to begin on Part B, this was confusing from the Get go.

Q8. Easier than 6 and 7, involved a little sketching etc. The financial question was over worded but fair.

Q9. Very very hard probability question + A completely fucking stupidly worded Maximum and Minimum problem. Definately orientated to 3 unit students, the differentiation required was fucked.

Q10. Not Attempted - Was told that it wasn't as hard as previous years.

no way. the differentiation is easy, just turn the root into index and differentiate it, thats it.

 

[possessionless]

no way. the differentiation is easy, just turn the root into index and differentiate it, thats it.

yeah i agree. i didnt find this question hard.

 

[wavecrush91]

i saw the test and it was pretty alright, i would a little harder than last years, but meh,

just curious, wtf did u guys do for that isosceles drawing question? i was like wtf?

I think you just divide the triangle into two right angled trianlges and you follow the pattern of the actual image that they gave as stimulus.

But yeah.. I stuffed that Math's exam. Couldnt think properly during the test. But when it was over. I was like "ooooh...this is how you do it. fkajsdklfjaskjf" Lucky I have 6 subjects. Now I'm counting for physics and eco to bring my ATAR up.

 

[ash_xx]

yeah triangle q was so gay!
but overall i think i did pretty well, dont think i lost more thn 12 marks so MINIMUM a 108/120

 

[ijaz101]

that maths test was royally fucked.

it didn't even compare to past HSC papers, it was really difficult!

its as if someone decided to make a 2 and 3 unit paper.

im not sure what the board of studies were thinking by making the test that hard... i know its fucked my chances of a decent ATAR.

makes me feel better knowing everyone else hated it though.

The BoS were thinking about fucking us all over this year, and so they did...

 

[3p1c f41lur3]

-Train(Roller coaster) question- fucked
-Money question (curse you Daniel!!!)- very annoying and tedious
-Q10- no time at all
- Rest is easy

 

[vice lord]

Bahahahah Go screw urselves loosers just chekd ma solutions and 119+xd Bite me bithz

 

[redwinter91]

I don't see anything wrong with the test.

 

[mivdawg]

omg i know. i could not get that stupid question!!

I got that question! only I can't remember my answer, something like over 2000 years lol. Radium decays reallllll slow haha.

Just quietly, wtf was the triangle question where you had to make four isosceles triangles?! I think I got it, but it was random as

 

[Triquetral]

Re: Man that was a hard paper!

Seriously guys that was NOT a hard exam. Problem is all of you go in there expecting some stupid format, like repetition of questions by doing a million past papers. Best you can do for maths is completely understand a concept and it's all good. Hate to be an arsehole but usually I do past papers as well, this time round I did like 2 and instead made sure I knew my rules to the t and all the concepts made complete sense without flaw (sounds stupid but it worked much better than past papers this time)...and that exam was a piece of cake...if you know the concepts you can do any question but half the state goes in there and chucks a massive whinge back here when we don't get a question they have seen before. Thank god HSC is changing away from a memory exam (although memory is my forte, very good at memorising essays, etc) it's changing so kids actually understand what they are doing stop little fuckers just memorising something but no even bothering to understand! Band 6 here I come!

 

[A Poisoned Seed]

Oh my god. Band 3 here I come! It was awful. Despite not having answered half the questions, the ones I did do, I could hardly do.

Ah well.

WOW, you just described my math experience *dies* All I wanted was a pass, just a wee little pass was that so hard to do???!!!!!!! Gah. Still, wooot for 4 unit English!

 

[patrick little]

Re: Man that was a hard paper!

Seriously guys that was NOT a hard exam. Problem is all of you go in there expecting some stupid format, like repetition of questions by doing a million past papers. Best you can do for maths is completely understand a concept and it's all good. Hate to be an arsehole but usually I do past papers as well, this time round I did like 2 and instead made sure I knew my rules to the t and all the concepts made complete sense without flaw (sounds stupid but it worked much better than past papers this time)...and that exam was a piece of cake...if you know the concepts you can do any question but half the state goes in there and chucks a massive whinge back here when we don't get a question they have seen before. Thank god HSC is changing away from a memory exam (although memory is my forte, very good at memorising essays, etc) it's changing so kids actually understand what they are doing stop little fuckers just memorising something but no even bothering to understand! Band 6 here I come!

I agree totally, it wasnt that hard... I did 3 past papers the day before and i'm stoked with how i went (112-116)... And I dont know what all this hype about the rollercoaster question was??? Its just gradients and maxima/minima