Is Maths in Focus really that bad? (1 Viewer)

[FesuY]

I hear a lot of people (specifically in the conquer hsc discord) say that the maths in focus textbook is bad and that it shouldnt be used, and instead should use the cambridge textbook. However my school uses it. Can someone give me their thoughts on this?

 

[Jojofelyx]

I hear a lot of people (specifically in the conquer hsc discord) say that the maths in focus textbook is bad and that it shouldnt be used, and instead should use the cambridge textbook. However my school uses it. Can someone give me their thoughts on this?

Don't use the MIF book and instead use the Cambridge? If your school assigns you homework to do, just do the last few q's (after you've gotten the concept, by learning it from the cambridge book, its gonna be better than the MIF lol). I'm sure your teacher won't get pissed if ou can just show them that you've done the harder ones of the MIF, and supplemented with the Cambridge.

 

[idkkdi]

I hear a lot of people (specifically in the conquer hsc discord) say that the maths in focus textbook is bad and that it shouldnt be used, and instead should use the cambridge textbook. However my school uses it. Can someone give me their thoughts on this?

have a look at 2021 hsc x2 exam and then look at the qs in mif, and decide whether the two align in difficulty. in general, you want to be practicing things even harder than what you could expect in the hsc.

 

[FesuY]

have a look at 2021 hsc x2 exam and then look at the qs in mif, and decide whether the two align in difficulty. in general, you want to be practicing things even harder than what you could expect in the hsc.

Good point

 

[FesuY]

Don't use the MIF book and instead use the Cambridge? If your school assigns you homework to do, just do the last few q's (after you've gotten the concept, by learning it from the cambridge book, its gonna be better than the MIF lol). I'm sure your teacher won't get pissed if ou can just show them that you've done the harder ones of the MIF, and supplemented with the Cambridge.

Oh ok, gotcha thankyou

 

[Epicman69]

I hear a lot of people (specifically in the conquer hsc discord) say that the maths in focus textbook is bad and that it shouldnt be used, and instead should use the cambridge textbook. However my school uses it. Can someone give me their thoughts on this?

yes, it is absolute dog water.

 

[c_z_m]

I personally liked Terry Lee's math textbooks. Though the school didn't provide them it was a ~$70 investment I was proud of making, and something that is great for self-study. So that might be an alternative if Maths in Focus really is crap.

 

[jimmysmith560]

As far as I’m aware, the use of Maths in Focus is appropriate when acquainting yourself with the concepts, whether it is through consulting the explanations of particular concepts, or when attempting questions relevant to those concepts, allowing you to become familiar with Mathematics Advanced content. As someone with rather modest mathematical capabilities, solely using Maths in Focus allowed me to achieve a band 5 as my HSC mark in Mathematics.

On the other hand, Cambridge appears to be appropriate when seeking more challenging material that extends beyond the difficulty offered by Maths in Focus. If you aim to maximise your performance in Mathematics Advanced, using Cambridge would be a good idea. Additionally, if possible, you may wish to concurrently use both textbooks instead of just one of them:

• Using Maths in Focus as you first encounter a particular concept can assist you in familiarising yourself with that concept.
• Subsequently, using Cambridge will enable you to master that concept, thanks to the exposure to more challenging material, which constitutes good practice.

I hope this helps!

 

[idkkdi]

have a look at 2021 hsc x2 exam and then look at the qs in mif, and decide whether the two align in difficulty. in general, you want to be practicing things even harder than what you could expect in the hsc.

As far as I’m aware, the use of Maths in Focus is appropriate when acquainting yourself with the concepts, whether it is through consulting the explanations of particular concepts, or when attempting questions relevant to those concepts, allowing you to become familiar with Mathematics Advanced content. As someone with rather modest mathematical capabilities, solely using Maths in Focus allowed me to achieve a band 5 as my HSC mark in Mathematics.

On the other hand, Cambridge appears to be appropriate when seeking more challenging material that extends beyond the difficulty offered by Maths in Focus. If you aim to maximise your performance in Mathematics Advanced, using Cambridge would be a good idea. Additionally, if possible, you may wish to concurrently use both textbooks instead of just one of them:

• Using Maths in Focus as you first encounter a particular concept can assist you in familiarising yourself with that concept.
• Subsequently, using Cambridge will enable you to master that concept, thanks to the exposure to more challenging material, which constitutes good practice.

I hope this helps!

just realised this was a 2u maths thread.

 

[ExtremelyBoredUser]

just a waste of time more than anything IMO

just start off with cambridge and if u need harder qs go terry lee. if cambridge is too hard, like u cant do foundation/elementary type qs there then u just need to ask ur teacher or watch a yt vid because that just shows u really dont understand the topic OR u have some underlying issue such as poor algebra

Edit:
u do u for advanced bruh, u could prolly fall asleep half the time and u'll hit a 80-100 given u studied enough qs. u could prolly come 20 mins late and slap the teacher and ud still pass. Use anything ull be just fine

 

[ExtremelyBoredUser]

just realised this was a 2u maths thread.

LMAO brooo I just realised

 

[ExtremelyBoredUser]

@FesuY all goods bro u dont need to go on thsc for mx2 papers if im being serious, you'll do fine with MIF for advanced since it doesn't get too challenging with the content but would still highly recommend skipping MIF and going to cambridge. Ignore terry lee

 

[5uckerberg]

Who in their right mind would do Terry Lee questions if they are just doing Mathematics Advanced. That is overkill. I believe Cambridge is sufficient enough for this course and just spam AceHSC, THSC and others. If you are a very accomplished student, ignore MIF unless you need to route back and relearn the basics.

In all honesty, the Terry Lee textbooks are designed for Mathematics Extension I & II students in mind.