Maths (1 Viewer)

[ram14]

So all you budding engineers i have a question. The question being what is the maths like during engineering??
Is it true it gets harder than 4 unit...I mean im thinking of doing engineering and my maths isnt too strong in the sense that i only to 2 unit advance maths...
I dont like maths much but i do all 3 sciences and enjoy them...
So what of the maths...Really that hard...?

 

[watatank]

If you aren't strong at maths there's bridging courses and also intermediate maths courses during first year uni (as opposed to advanced which is what engineers should do) to help bridge the gap. No matter what one you do, you will at some stage reach four unit (equivalent) level...but hopefully you will have had a lot of practice. either way you are going to have to work harder than everyone else (although if you want to be an engineer I'm sure you would have known that anyway). Because second year onwards everyone does the same maths.

 

[jemsta]

it depends how strong you perform in your 2 unit maths
if you get band 6 for it, chances are youll do relatively well in uni maths, but i suggest if you have any problems, then enrol in a bridging course to get a headstart
engineering is a lot of hard maths, so be prepared to work your butt off

 

[gman03]

Is it true it gets harder than 4 unit?

Nope. I find finacial maths much harder than 4 unit maths, and besides I hardly use conics stuff in my later years of engineering anyway.

Engineering maths is much more practical than HSC maths. You will need your interest/appreciation in maths to survive, not how great marks you get in HSC.

First year maths (that is, the maths you study in the first year of your university degree) is intimidating in a sense that they will tell you the definition of derivatives and stuff, but afterwards you just use it in more practical sense. E.g. find centre of mass of a bridge or if you drop a ball on the top of a mountain you know EXACTLY how it will roll down, what path it takes etc.

Good luck!

 

[ianc]

gman is spot on.....the maths does seem different at first but you get used to the style - in lectures you will cover the detailed proof and definition of something - and while this may seem irrelevant to most, for those who go on to do pure maths, learning how to prove something properly is vital - while in tutes you do normal sorts of questions

but bear in mind, that for first year maths, most students have only achieved a fairly average sort of mark in 3 unit, so it does not move that fast and unless you do absolutely no work, you won't get left behind, so it's all good


at unsw they offer higher maths for everyone who did well in 4unit, while most people simply do the normal maths. if you do maths in second year, they do not do different levels, because i think second year maths is hard enough as it is.....

 

[Z66R2V]

It depends what type of engineering you end up doing, and what your major in that field is.

In the classical engineering fields, say, civil and mech, they tend to teach you things that have a fairly practical basis and you can get a real-world grasp on what's happening , which helps understanding. In electrical and computer engineering, you can end up doign some crazy maths that they use to solve random elec models. They do teach you everything you need to know, but some people have incredible trouble grasping some of the concepts as they don't necessarily have real-world uses or analogies.

They do teach you everything you need to know, though. If you put in the time and effort, you'll succeed.

 

[§eraphim]

IMO, 4u maths is fun maths, esp Euclidean geometry, compared to some uni maths.

 

[blackfriday]

doing 4u maths only means you dont need to pay any attention to any calculus or complex numbers. other than that from second semester onwards its a pretty level playing. what you've learnt from first year should hold you in good stead for second year maths. its not the maths you should worry about, its the stats.

 

[JhK89]

nah i am a first year at my uni i think u just need a high band 5 or band 6 and if you take a bridging course u'll be fine

 

[Mumma]

4 unit maths IMO was *harder* than uni maths. I just finished Higher Maths 1A at UNSW as part of my engineering degree. The harder questions you get at the end of the test can be REALLY challenging but everything before that is very straight forward. The class tests, although you cant use a calculator, are incredibly simple. Doing higher levels of maths at school helps (it helps you think better about how to do maths) but yeah, it should still be do able by anyone who puts the effort in.

 

[watatank]

looking back...any very good two unit maths student can handle the maths for starters as long as they put in the effort. by the time the really really challenging stuff comes in hopefully you would have had enough practice.

 

[almost done now]

i agree with mumma about maths 1A at UNSW

it was all pretty straightforward and even though the many of the concepts are quite different, very few questions are as challenging as those 4 unit ones.

 

[Cookie182]

Im planning on probably doing civil engineering next year. I got 96 in 2U Maths for my trial but i dont do 3/4 unit. Once im fin. school though, as in over the next four months would it be advantageous to just purchase an excel book for 3/4 unit and brush over the basics of complex numbers, higher calculus and trig? I have a few freinds i can ask questions with if i get stuck who have done 3 U, but no 1 for 4 U.

Any thoughts? Im planning on going to UOW so any1 know what 3/4 unit topics to focus on which are revelant to maths 187/188?

Thanxs

 

[watatank]

yeah, if you want to get a bit of background do the higher level differentiation and integration stuff. oh and do 3u trig as well. the rest they will teach you.

also, you can always do math141/142 at uow, it's essentially the same as 187/188 but they go slower so not as in depth.

 

[chaithu]

i do math 2u and i want to do engineering..wat about band 4..can band 4 students do bridging course?????

 

[Kebabci Oglu]

i do math 2u and i want to do engineering..wat about band 4..can band 4 students do bridging course?????

If you have done 2 unit maths (not general) you wont have to do a bridging course.

 

[chaithu]

If you have done 2 unit maths (not general) you wont have to do a bridging course.

r u sure?? i am willing to study either engineer or nanotechnology
but in uni guide they say u neeed atleast knowledge in 3 u ..its doesnt mean 2 u is disadvantage
i am realy stressing about uai as well ..
my first assessment weighting was only 5 % any advise on that??

 

[Kebabci Oglu]

I dont post useless things, if i give advice its proper. My brother does engineering and he did general maths at high school but it didnt matter at uni, also i asked him before i posted my message.

Musk your right i just transferred hence i know what is required i spoke with the engineerin coordinator and he didnt care about 3 unit maths or anything, they didnt even ask me if i did physics (but i told them i did), and its an engineering requirement.

 

[Kebabci Oglu]

Each case is different and you know that, the kid may be a hardcore study manic



why would he, his purpose is to give the uni cash flow :rofl:

Well thats how my uni works. Also you said yourself that u only did 2 units math and your doing hounours, so its not essential 3 unit maths. Suprisingly also I.T required mathematics 2 unit, even though there is no maths in it lol.


->But your spot on with the uni cash flow thing lol.

 

[testiclepilot]

Depends on which uni you do, as to the maths you need. I know at wollongong, my best mate did 2U and did first year maths that semi-revised on 3U and 4U topics. The maths subjects I did, did not (you needed 70+ in 2U to get into that).

Talk to them beforehand,.