Why would one do general math? (1 Viewer)

[cem]

From my experience kids choose subjects at school to get them where they want to go not necessarily because that is the subject they intend on studying furhter once they are there e.g. two kids want to do law - one hates Maths and Science so does 4U English, 2U Modern, 2U Ancient, 2U Legal and aims for an ATAR of 98 while another also wants to do law but strongest subject is Maths so 2U English, 4U Maths, 2U Legal and 2U Japanese also aiming for ATAR 98. Both may very well get their aimed for ATAR and end up at the same uni doing the same course but have played to their strengths to get there.

 

[r3dn1t3]

Sorry is this guy an idiot?

People do General Maths and still struggle with it, sure its 'easy', but not all people have the skills to do some of the stuff required, you should be shot. Why should teachers be required to do 2U maths? Relevance please, douchebag.

 

[Got2Kno91]

I agree with others. Some people aren't great at math, but still want to maintain some mathematical challenge/stimulation. I don't think its good to sever ties with all math completely, some degree of numeracy is imporant in everyday life.

Numbers don't lie, I think General Math is 2nd or 3rd most popular subject (after Eng. Ad + Std.)?

 

[kaz1]

Even if you suck at Maths why would you want to sever ties with one of the most awesome subjects ever?

 

[Cinnamonster]

My reason for keeping the subject was that it would be weird going to school and not having to do maths. I don't know why, but it was for that reason I kept the subject even though I absolutely hated it.

 

[addikaye03]

because it is easy. i am studying general now and it is like taking me 15 minutes to finish the preliminary course

why namu? why not try and study something like reimann surfaces(complex analysis, which extends on complex numbers) or mapping (vectors and matrices) or something?
Surely, any concept in general will be of no use to you.

 

[DJP92]

Because one sucks at Advanced Math?

 

[nikilily]

what kind of a loser does this guy think he is...obviously looking for an ego boost (whatever an average year 7 kid could do general math, sure there might be some but...) being a general maths student myself i know that im not dumb, it can be hard, like today i learnt that 1+1=11

 

[Kakuzu11245]

For me, General Math is incredibly simple and easy, but I do not feel confident in maths, I believe it is better to learn the content of General to an extent where I can get a band 6...

I feel that General Maths really requires no skill of math, you just need to study and you will do well, even if you have no idea what the fuck the topic is on about... for many students im sure that is the case... Also keep in mind some students are very smart at English and other subjects, while bad at Math... but Math is considered essential to some people, I found not doing math rather incomprehensible to me, just because I see my parents use math every day and they encouraged me, they would have also found it extremely strange had I not completed a math course.

Obviously, I have no real interest in any career related to math.

From other peoples perspectives, General math is all you need to do a lot of degrees in building and construction type courses/jobs. Infact its recommended for some... but I truely believe the reason people do General Math is somewhat similar to my own... "I have to do maths but I suck at it"

 

[Shadowdude]

I think it's either the deep end or the shallow end really. I have a few friends who dropped down from 2u to General and find it, "piss easy". They argue there should be a middle ground - General Maths, Maths and Advanced Maths.

Some people just don't get it - like I helped a student during a study I had in calculating the volume of a cheesecake with a slice taken out. Another student who thinks Maths is stupid can't even get collecting like terms (I hear she's been instructed to get a different coloured pen out and circle each like term).

In the same way, I am having a dandy time figuring out some equations involving roots of Polynomials. I suppose each has their limit?

But I still think the majority of General is a joke due to simplicity of some of the stuff in the course. They should use the 'simple' stuff to build on to harder concepts, like if I have to solve an equation first and then manipulate it to prove a result - for instance.

 

[Fish Tank]

Not everyone can be awesome at maths... like me

 

[2sXc4yU]

But I still think the majority of General is a joke.

this.


people who general may as well not do maths at all, since it can hardly be counted as maths.

 

[Shadowdude]

They try to gear it toward real life applications, but it's horrible still. There is no 'build up' in questions, there is no "Show me you can apply this simple Year 9 Trigonometry concept", and then "Ah, okay. Now can you tell me from that result that you can prove that this thing is equal to that thing?"

There is no 'Hence, ... ...' or 'From this show or prove, ... ...'. They need that, they need to BUILD ON concepts, NOT REVISE them.

 

[jakennecon]

A couple of weeks ago I went to a bookshp and happened to pick up a set of test samples for general mathematics. I was quite surprised by the content. It looked rather easy. So today I went to the BOS site and downloaded the past papers for HSC general math 2006 - 2008. I have not worked through the whole of 2008 paper but I have a feeling that a high performer at year 7 in a selective school could get a very high score on it. When I look at selective school tests for early year 6 (actually end of year 5), some of the questions are very hard and it's unlikely that a HSC student who does well in the general math HSC paper could actually score very well. There are certainly some question type in the HSC paper that a year 7 kid would not have learnt unless the kid learn ahead or from outside the school.

Anyway that makes me wonder. If primary school teachers only do general math when they were at HSC level, it would be very bad. Without math ext1 or higher, students are not allowed to study mathematics at university anyway. So it looks like primary school teachers are unlikely to have anything more than 2U HSC math.

What kind of plans for the future study that some one who does general math would want to pursuit at university? Or perhaps the person just want to stop at the HSC?

Clearly retarded people do general maths because either they are lazy; or worse, they are so retarded that they cannot cope with the concept of negative values in coordinate geometry. It is so that these sorts of retards can earn a false sense of achievement from their bullshit pass mark in general maths. It is also a useful way to preserve the difficulty and rigour of the current calculus-based courses for the non-retarded students, and to me, that's a pretty damn good reason for retards to do general.

 

[0bs3n3]

lol @oasfree, my sister is a Primary School teacher and she did General Maths. Not because she couldn't do 2U but because she didn't need it. I give her crap about it all the time, though.

 

[ClockworkSoldier]

Clearly retarded people do general maths because either they are lazy; or worse, they are so retarded that they cannot cope with the concept of negative values in coordinate geometry. It is so that these sorts of retards can earn a false sense of achievement from their bullshit pass mark in general maths. It is also a useful way to preserve the difficulty and rigour of the current calculus-based courses for the non-retarded students, and to me, that's a pretty damn good reason for retards to do general.

You have got to be the most arrogant, backwards tard I've seen on this forum this month.

Those "retards" are the mechanics, artists, musicians, psychiatrists/psychologists, lawyers, chain managers, speechwriters, historians, athletes, dentists, journalists, anthropologists... I could go on, but I'd be naming more than half of the workforce.

High-payed and highly respected positions that don't concern math are abundant in society, and many of the people who have taken up these positions have found fame, fortune and public awe. You would call your favorite artists and musicians retards? You would call any of these people who are highly successful, respected and earning stupid amounts of money, retarded?

I never did Math through year 11 and 12, I saw no need for it, yet I am on my way to be an audio engineer, and the math associated with it was WAY over my head. It still is... But now I know how to figure it out.

/endrant.

 

[jakennecon]

You have got to be the most arrogant, backwards tard I've seen on this forum this month.

Those "retards" are the mechanics, artists, musicians, psychiatrists/psychologists, lawyers, chain managers, speechwriters, historians, athletes, dentists, journalists, anthropologists... I could go on, but I'd be naming more than half of the workforce.

High-payed and highly respected positions that don't concern math are abundant in society, and many of the people who have taken up these positions have found fame, fortune and public awe. You would call your favorite artists and musicians retards? You would call any of these people who are highly successful, respected and earning stupid amounts of money, retarded?

I never did Math through year 11 and 12, I saw no need for it, yet I am on my way to be an audio engineer, and the math associated with it was WAY over my head. It still is... But now I know how to figure it out.

/endrant.

Would I say that my favourite musicians and artists are intellectually retarded? For the most part, yes. I never said that being retarded was an impediment to progress in society. Doesn't change the fact that general maths is retarded. And anyone wanting to do something that even vaguely challenges their brain in later life ought to take the most difficult level of high school maths that they are capable of. Otherwise they are being retarded.

 

[ClockworkSoldier]

Would I say that my favourite musicians and artists are intellectually retarded? For the most part, yes. I never said that being retarded was an impediment to progress in society. Doesn't change the fact that general maths is retarded. And anyone wanting to do something that even vaguely challenges their brain in later life ought to take the most difficult level of high school maths that they are capable of. Otherwise they are being retarded.

So you're basically saying that math is THE ONLY way to challenge your brain?

 

[jakennecon]

So you're basically saying that math is THE ONLY way to challenge your brain?

No, not quite - also Latin, Greek and Sanskrit. And science olympiads.

 

[ClockworkSoldier]

So the study of the human psyche isn't challenging?

Musical theory isn't challenging?

Studying the human body biologically isn't challenging?

I could go on.