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STEP Prep Thread 2016 (Mark. II)

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Original post by Zacken
I was so looking forward to that (typically called "A Summer of Maths (ASoM)" btw) but then I realised I missed my offer and I don't want to do any maths anymore. :lol:


lol same there is an appropriately 0% chance that I have made my offer
Original post by Zacken
I was so looking forward to that (typically called "A Summer of Maths (ASoM)" btw) but then I realised I missed my offer and I don't want to do any maths anymore. :lol:


Just do maths that you'll never see on a STEP paper again. I want to learn some group theory over the summer.
:drool:
Original post by Mathemagicien
Group theory is niiice

Btw, you would see group theory on a STEP paper - just look at the old style papers


I know, I meant that it won't come up in the future. Well, not in the near future.
Original post by Zacken
Should be a low 1.


Yeah that was what I was thinking - should have seen what to do in Q8 (iii) and maybe should have tried Q9 (looked doable but I assumed I wouldnt have enough time to get myself into a mechanics Q at that point )

But yeah I'll probably end up with 1,1,1 which should be a satisfying ending to STEP. I have no Cambridge offer though (and Imperial's offer doesnt ask for STEP) so I guess for the most part STEP was a challenge (while also being part of my insurance offer from Warwick - but they needed a 1 in any paper if i didnt get a further maths A* - otherwise they wanted a 2 in any paper) and I think I enjoyed the whole process of preparing and sitting the exam - if nothing else I sure have encountered some amazing maths :smile:

Good luck with your Cambridge Offer - I hope you got what you needed (and did better than you expected) :smile:
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Mathemagicien
There won't be a future, we voted for Brexit :wink:


we?

:wink:
Original post by EricPiphany
Just do maths that you'll never see on a STEP paper again. I want to learn some group theory over the summer.
:drool:


Above average minds think alike


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Original post by jneill
we?

:wink:


nigel garage
Original post by Mathemagicien
There won't be a future, we voted for Brexit :wink:

lol what BS, we have to make this work. The apocalypse preachers will come around eventually. :wink:
Might as well attempt a PhD now that We've pulled out of the EU, failing that, McDonald's?


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Reply 2189
I find it so hard to estimate my own grade without bias, so would someone mind?

Q1: Did part (i), somehow couldn't get part (ii) to work and got to integral of cos^(2n)(u) = integral of cos^(2n-2)(u) - integral of cos^(2n-2)(u)sin^2(u) (or something like that - not even sure that's in the right direction so i might not get any for this part) Then did the last part assuming the result from part (ii) but i was in a hurry and didn't do it by induction, just wrong In in terms of In-1, so In in terms of In-2, and repeated 'till In in terms of I1 which gives the result (might give no marks since it's not really induction)

Q3: I did fully assuming my argument works but i made little errors along the way that didn't affect the validity of the argument as a whole (like a sign error when adding fractions, but it didn't change the degrees of the polynomials), or writing that lim(x->-1) of 1/(1+x) = +-inf when it should just be undefined. Also I said some stuff which might've needed some justification: that if Q'(x) has a factor of (1+x)^2 and Q(x) has a factor of (1+x), then Q(x) has a factor of (1+x)^3. Idk how harshly they'll penalise this stuff

Q4: I did the first part fully and changed the sech(2ry)sech(2(r+1)y) sum into a similar form and broke it up into two simpler fractions but didn't actually get around to evaluating anything

Q5 (i think it's Q5 i'm not sure - the one which was about primes between r and s): Did this one fully.

Q8: I did it until h(x), there i found that with M(x) = 1/(1-x), M(M(M(X))) = -x, and found its values for iterations up to 6 (it then repeats). Played around, cancelled some h(x) things by using that and h(-x), but in the end nothing came from it.

Thank you :smile:
(edited 7 years ago)
Will GBs be low for this paper? I did 3 fulls (which are most likely not fulls) and 3 partials, one terrible, two possibly terrible...
Let me use a nice analogy. STEP III was to me as the EU referendum was to David Cameron.
Original post by drandy76
Above average minds think alike


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I'm only very slightly above average. You most probably shouldn't associate yourself with me :wink:
Original post by IrrationalRoot
Will GBs be low for this paper? I did 3 fulls (which are most likely not fulls) and 3 partials, one terrible, two possibly terrible...


Having sat this and last years in exam conditions(so people can't say ur bias blah blah blah).
This year was harder, Induction was harder. Q3 was probably the easiest and Q8 to pick up he most marks other then that the questions weren't easy to pick up marks on. I guess
62 for Grade 1, 85 for an S. I was on the money with my predictions last year. Tbh it could stump lower then this.


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Original post by physicsmaths
Having sat this and last years in exam conditions(so people can't say ur bias blah blah blah).
This year was harder, Induction was harder. Q3 was probably the easiest and Q8 to pick up he most marks other then that the questions weren't easy to pick up marks on. I guess
62 for Grade 1, 85 for an S. I was on the money with my predictions last year. Tbh it could stump lower then this.


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Why did people find Q3 so easy? I couldn't do part (ii)... This was the P(x),Q(x) question right? Regardless any ideas how many marks I'd get for just doing (i) of Q3? :frown:
Btw those predictions are reassuring :redface:.
Original post by IrrationalRoot
Why did people find Q3 so easy? I couldn't do part (ii)... This was the P(x),Q(x) question right? Regardless any ideas how many marks I'd get for just doing (i) of Q3? :frown:
Btw those predictions are reassuring :redface:.


Part i) should get 10-12.


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Original post by EricPiphany
I'm only very slightly above average. You most probably shouldn't associate yourself with me :wink:


Will need a sounding bound while I try wrap my head around group theory doe


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Could someone estimate this please?

1: Did (i) and (iii) but didn't do part (ii) (the inductive step)

2: Did part (i) only

Series question with x^r (can't remember the number): did everything up to finding the final sum to infinity

8: Couldn't do the final part involving h(x), did the rest

9: Got up to the equation of motion but couldn't find the approximation to show SHM

Thanks :tongue:
Original post by jweo

Q1: Did part (i), somehow couldn't get part (ii) to work and got to integral of cos^(2n)(u) = integral of cos^(2n-2)(u) - integral of cos^(2n-2)(u)sin^2(u) (or something like that


I swear I'm the only one who didn't have use single trig function whatsoever in their solution to (ii)...
Original post by physicsmaths
Part i) should get 10-12.


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Ok thanks, and what was the method for (ii)? I differentiated and deduced that Q(x) must have a factor of 1+x and further deduced that degP=degQ-1 (not sure if correct, pretty sure pointless anyway). Any marks at all for that?

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