What are the best Textbooks for: (1 Viewer)

idkkdi

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Maths: Perms and Combs
Physics: Module 1 Kinematics
Economics: Labour Markets
I don't think any of the physics books are particularly good lol.
But last time I checked, jacaranda has some decent problems. Pearson as well maybe.
If u grind, maybe grind out surfing lol. decently useful.
 

idkkdi

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Half of the surfing content is not in the syllabus. The questions are quite repetitive. But everyone is allowed their own opinions :)
hm surfing y12 does seem to have some irrelevant content. surfing y11 for the most part did stay on track iirc.

The repetition in the y11 book is actually quite useful lol. Hammers in the fundamentals real hard.
 

Eagle Mum

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I tend to judge textbooks based on the number of errors in the answers as I think nothing hinders a student more than checking their solution and finding the textbook disagrees, causing them to doubt their understanding. Based on this criteria, the Jacaranda HSC physics textbook edition before the syllabus change was good (I can’t speak for any newer editions yet as I haven’t had/got anyone doing HSC physics between 2015 & 2022) as was Cambridge Maths before the syllabus change. WRT textbook explanations, the Internet and forums such as this one and the Stack Exchanges are great resources for supplementing textbooks, but if your parents can afford it, buy at least two textbooks for each subject - select & stick to one main textbook and go to the other(s) when you don’t fully understand the explanations in the main one. That’s the strategy we use and it works well.

Finally, I agree with idkkdi, don’t dismiss a good textbook just because some of its content are outside the prescribed syllabus. Maths & science are best understood with good foundations (one could even argue that it’s the same broad foundation). No knowledge is ever wasted.
 
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idkkdi

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I tend to judge textbooks based on the number of errors in the answers as I think nothing hinders a student more than checking their solution and finding the textbook disagrees, causing them to doubt their understanding. Based on this criteria, the Jacaranda HSC physics textbook edition before the syllabus change was good (I can’t speak for any newer editions yet as I haven’t had/got anyone doing HSC physics between 2015 & 2022) as was Cambridge Maths before the syllabus change. WRT textbook explanations, the Internet and forums such as this one and the Stack Exchanges are great resources for supplementing textbooks, but if your parents can afford it, buy at least two textbooks for each subject - select & stick to one main textbook and go to the other(s) when you don’t fully understand the explanations in the main one. That’s the strategy we use and it works well.

Finally, I agree with idkkdi, don’t dismiss a good textbook just because some of its content are outside the prescribed syllabus. Maths & science are best understood with good foundations (one could even argue that it’s the same broad foundation). No knowledge is ever wasted.
Surfing and jacaranda both have quite a few wrong answers for y11. I would assume the same for PIF. Maybe Pearson is better dunno.
 

Eagle Mum

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Surfing and jacaranda both have quite a few wrong answers for y11. I would assume the same for PIF. Maybe Pearson is better dunno.
I wonder if some authors rushed out new textbooks as quickly as they could after changes were made to the maths & science syllabi which might account for higher frequencies of errors. That’s why I only comment on previous editions (which I think are still good for the content still included in the current syllabi). DS took up a temporary job with a distribution company checking new practice papers and found errors. When they fed back to the producers, the initial response was it had been checked by their quality checkers (Uni students) and there are never mistakes. The final verdict was that DS was correct - there were mistakes (which I knew as I’d checked his report before he sent it).
 

CM_Tutor

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I wonder if some authors rushed out new textbooks as quickly as they could after changes were made to the maths & science syllabi which might account for higher frequencies of errors. That’s why I only comment on previous editions (which I think are still good for the content still included in the current syllabi). DS took up a temporary job with a distribution company checking new practice papers and found errors. When they fed back to the producers, the initial response was it had been checked by their quality checkers (Uni students) and there are never mistakes. The final verdict was that DS was correct - there were mistakes (which I knew as I’d checked his report before he sent it).
Sorry, I'm confused... DS?
 

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