Proposed changes to the Mathematics syllabus: Thoughts? (2 Viewers)

[omegadot]

Every time you offer another subject, you are spreading the student numbers too thin. If Statistics were offered as an HSC subject in its own right, then who is going to do it (useful but boring as shit) and how many teachers are going to be able to teach it, if offered? If we, as now have nearly 100 (??? - don't know the actual number), the actual cost of supporting such a programme is enormous. You will have a subject where, one year you may have 9 students doing it, and next, only 5. Imagine the cost of one teacher for a class of only 5.

Or perhaps statistics could be added as an additional unit at HSC level only open to students studying either 2 or 3 Unit. In this way you would only be drawing on your existing pool of 2 and 3 Unit students rather than Statistics having to compete against them for students. It would be quite a new thing to have students from either 2 or 3 Unit enter such a course in Year 12, but hey, isn't NSW supposed to be the innovative state where things are done differently?

 

[InteGrand]

Or perhaps statistics could be added as an additional unit at HSC level only open to students studying either 2 or 3 Unit. In this way you would only be drawing on your existing pool of 2 and 3 Unit students rather than Statistics having to compete against them for students. It would be quite a new thing to have students from either 2 or 3 Unit enter such a course in Year 12, but hey, isn't NSW supposed to be the innovative state where things are done differently?

What if 4U students wanted to do Statistics too?

 

[omegadot]

What if 4U students wanted to do Statistics too?

By definition, all 4 Unit students are 3 Unit students already so would naturally be allowed to choose Statistics in Year 12 if they so wished.

 

[InteGrand]

By definition, all 4 Unit students are 3 Unit students already so would naturally be allowed to choose Statistics in Year 12 if they so wished.

Oh sorry. I thought you were referring to those who did 3U but not 4U.

 

[eyeseeyou]

By definition, 4U students are 2U students (given that they are already 3U students). Can some1 correct me on this?

 

[Trebla]

Perhaps they could do like 'Option' topics like they do in the sciences. I still think everyone needs to learn statistics at least at a basic level though (as in basic probability distribution theory).

 

[leehuan]

Perhaps they could do like 'Option' topics like they do in the sciences

That would be interesting actually.

Just not sure how many would be willing to mark the exams.

(And I guess how it would work; options for just 4U or for 2+3+4U? And are 2U options assumed knowledge for 4U?)

 

[Trebla]

That would be interesting actually.

Just not sure how many would be willing to mark the exams.

(And I guess how it would work; options for just 4U or for 2+3+4U? And are 2U options assumed knowledge for 4U?)

Option topics by definition should be relatively niche areas so it wouldn't be assumed knowledge for anything else.

 

[Katebate]

Options in Mathematics, wow that seems interesting. Might actually be helpful for some people, increasing motivation.

 

[eyeseeyou]

Options in Mathematics, wow that seems interesting. Might actually be helpful for some people, increasing motivation.

lol speaking of options in maths, I have a feeling they'd do something like statistics, matrices, vector equations, etc. If they were to do it in lieu of conics, then I think it wouldn't be great idea since they never thought about options like they did in physics/chemistry

Also tbh I think that rather than replacing conics with statistics (although this sounds ridiculous b/c statistics is an important topic used a lot in society) is that they should have a 4U topic named "differentiation", like how they have it for integration (i.e. 2U integration, 3U integration and 4U integration). The only problem is that for differentiation, they only do 2U differentiation and 3U differentiation curve sketching. Nothing else which is a shame...

If these (matrices, vector equations) were to be introduced as "options" then I'd have a feeling that they'd have to teach from the very basics again (as students haven't learnt it in the junior years) and this is an issue given that they won't really have much time to start from the basics of the "options"

 

[Katebate]

Oh really, what a shame. Conics definitely isn't one of my strengths, but it's still a great part of the course.

 

[nerdasdasd]

Thats ridiculous imo but I heard first year uni physics is harder than 4U maths

He was talking about finance .. Not physics

 

[leehuan]

Oh really, what a shame. Conics definitely isn't one of my strengths, but it's still a great part of the course.

Ridiculously useless topic in society for most parts.

 

[InteGrand]

Ridiculously useless topic in society for most parts.

Not to mention most HSC-style Conics Q's are just messy/tedious algebra.

 

[Katebate]

Guess so... I just enjoyed studying it. Actually the other day a general math student asked me why we even do graphs of circles, and how is it applicable for real life, and I'm still stuck for an answer. Surely there is something? (besides architecture-related)

 

[leehuan]

Circles are probably the only conic section better analysed using Euclidean geometry than coordinate geometry

 

[InteGrand]

Guess so... I just enjoyed studying it. Actually the other day a general math student asked me why we even do graphs of circles, and how is it applicable for real life, and I'm still stuck for an answer. Surely there is something? (besides architecture-related)

A typical application of circles (and other conics) would be in Astrophysics. You can probably find more by researching online.

E.g. An application of ellipses in celestial mechanics: the Hohmann Transfer Orbit (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hohmann_transfer_orbit). This is an elliptical orbit that can be used to transfer a satellite from one circular orbit to another one (in the same plane) of different radius. This is mentioned in the HSC 4U Patel textbook I believe.

 

[Katebate]

A typical application of circles (and other conics) would be in Astrophysics. You can probably find more by researching online.

E.g. An application of ellipses in celestial mechanics: the Hohmann Transfer Orbit (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hohmann_transfer_orbit). This is an elliptical orbit that can be used to transfer a satellite from one circular orbit to another one (in the same plane) of different radius. This is mentioned in the HSC 4U Patel textbook I believe.

That is really interesting, thank you.

 

[eyeseeyou]

I just realised, are there any other useless topics. I think Circle geometry is a useless topic, however conics has very little use in society (i.e. astronomy)

 

[eyeseeyou]

I just realised but isn't the maths taught in high school, usually maths revolved around how useful it would be in society? (rather than any type of complicated maths)