Textbook Maths in Focus (1 Viewer)

[ribenaboy]

I'm checking out the Maths in Focus Book One
Most of the topics I have already done in the Signpost book from last year. Is Year 11 mainly a revision of Year 10?

 

[ribenaboy]

or maybe the syllabus changed and this book is outdated

 

[-WaxingLyrical-]

No, year 11 just builds on stuff you learnt in year 10. You do have some new topics though, unless your school decided to cover some of them in year 10.

Trust me, I felt the same way - then circle geometry killed me.

Most schools use the Cambridge textbooks though, so check them out if you want. Well, mine does anyway =)

 

[Mark576]

Don't bother with Maths in Focus ...WAY too simple IMO. Doesn't prepare you sufficiently. The Challenge exercises aren't bad, but you'd rather go for something more thorough like Cambridge, which is what I use often at home.

 

[jellybelly59]

year 11 maths is extension work from year 10 maths.

QFT... but of course dere are some other subjects like locus, circle geometry (ewww.... h8 locus and circle geometry... too much stuff to remember), sequences and series and other new topics

 

[jellybelly59]

lol to tell u the truth i wouldnt noe either... i just go to tutor get the booklets and get taught how to do it... lol my tutor just said "hey... let's do some yr 11 work " i presumed that it was yr 11 2 unit not 3 cause we had just finished the yr 10 course by then.... ur most likely right anyway

 

[x.Exhaust.x]

Both. If you were in the top class for maths in year 10 (5.3 advanced), then there will be quite a bit of work that has already been covered. But say you were doing 5.1 standard maths, and wanted to do extension maths for year 11, then there will barely be anything you learned from before, you'll just be building up your knowledge.

 

[sworntosecrecy]

Well in my opinion, I think Maths in Focus is not as good as the others. It's very simple and it doesn't really test out your ability. You'll finish an exercise and be like wow that's so easy i'm gonna flog this topic. Then when you practise exercises in Cambridge you'll be like wow, I don't know what the hell i'm doing.

I wish my school wasn't using Maths in Focus.
And they will pay..

 

[x.Exhaust.x]

Well in my opinion, I think Maths in Focus is not as good as the others. It's very simple and it doesn't really test out your ability. You'll finish an exercise and be like wow that's so easy i'm gonna flog this topic. Then when you practise exercises in Cambridge you'll be like wow, I don't know what the hell i'm doing.

I wish my school wasn't using Maths in Focus.
And they will pay..

Agreed with sworn . I bought cambridge online on boredofstudies and attempted the questions. Try some of the development and extension questions which goes beyond the scope of the course. Cambridge Mathematics I'd rate the best, but if you want to get work done faster, go for 'Understanding Year 11 Mathematics Extension 1'. That's the book I currently use to get questions done, especially for maths tutoring, because I have other courses I have to take care of . It is very easy to read, and the level 2 questions are quite difficult.

 

[Kujah]

MIF is good for understanding. But after that, it's all down hill.

 

[x.Exhaust.x]

MIF is good for understanding. But after that, it's all down hill.

Kevin knows all lol .

 

[Kujah]

Kevin knows all lol .

It's just that our teacher predominantly uses the book for 2U and 3U. The questions help build up the concepts and understanding, but for more complex and difficult questions, go for the other textbooks that have rave reviews such as Cambridge, Fitzpatrick, Coroneous, Terry Lee, Excel or your past paper book.

It's a good book for beginning a topic, but don;t rely on it too much!

Is Year 11 mainly a revision of Year 10?

2U should be easy enough for the first few terms if you did 5.3 in Year 10. But for Extension Maths, even though you've done Polynomials, Functions and Logarithms, the rest of the MX1 topics will be new and challenging. Especially Permutations and Combinations imo :mad1:

 

[tommykins]

Haha, we do 5.3 maths yet we dont know about expotentials and logarithsm yet.

 

[Continuum]

Haha, we do 5.3 maths yet we dont know about expotentials and logarithsm yet.

I thought logarithms were year 10 work.

 

[Zephyrio]

My friend got 99/100 for 2U, 49/50 for 3U maths.

She used Maths in Focus and Jones and Couchman, not really books you would consider to be difficult. But you have to assess the need for a hard textbook: perhaps, getting a difficult textbook is good for 4U maths, but if you're not a maths enthusiast and would just like to get a decent mark in 2U, what is the point of labouring through a bunch of extension questions you can find in Cambridge?

I've used Maths in Focus, and it's alright. Quite easy. I tend to think Fitzpatrick is the best out of all textbooks.

 

[kony]

I got 5th in the state and I only used Cambridge.

I tried MTF briefly, just to do some of the challenge questions. I couldn't do them.

 

[Foxodi]

Maths in Focus is perfect for 2U imo. But for MX1 I found that the textbook really doesnt prepare you for tests.

 

[Kujah]

I thought logarithms were year 10 work.

Actually Year 12 2U work.

 

[The Kaiser]

It's not a very good book in my opinion. Excel is way better with explanations and worked solutions, and Cambridge is great for those development and extension questions.

The Longman books are decent as well.

 

[ssglain]

Keep in mind that the textbook you use to assist your studies is not the sole determinant of your performance in the HSC. To do well in the HSC, you need to have extensive knowledge of the course content and proficient skills in applying your knowledge to solve practical problems. On top of these, you also need intensive, targeted exam training.

It is true that MIF's explanations and questions are unimpressively simple, but this makes the book a good resource for self-learning as a stepping stone to developing a thorough understanding of mathematical concepts. Cambridge is a personal favourite because its rigorous explanations and exercises enable the development of extensive knowledge and proficient skills in maths. People who find Cambridge too chunky to chew should consider using MIF, or another textbook, to help them gain a basic overview before tackling Cambridge.

Without doubt, it is beneficial to access as wide a pool of resources as possible. Exposure to a variety of questions allows you to become more flexible in the application of your theoretical knowledge in any situation that may arise.

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Edit
@kony: It just came to mind that you never actually bothered to read any of Pender's explanations. I'm yet more impressed.