The big fat STEP megathread (NOT for getting help with maths questions)

OP

SouthernFreerider

I think it's extremely harsh on you to be expected to get an S. Do the teachers etc... understand how the hard the step is? or do they just think "oh, he's good at maths, he'll probably get the top grade, what is it? an S? oh ok, he'll get an S"

just try and relax.

To be honest, if aeiou89 is who I think she is, her teachers are quite right to predict her an S, and she really shouldn't be worrying.

I'm sure you'll do brilliantly, just relax, you're taking this paper for fun remember, enjoy it.

Reply 781

aeiou81

10

SouthernFreerider

I think it's extremely harsh on you to be expected to get an S. Do the teachers etc... understand how the hard the step is? or do they just think "oh, he's good at maths, he'll probably get the top grade, what is it? an S? oh ok, he'll get an S"

just try and relax.

Well they don't expect me as such... It's just.... argh, without wanting to sound arrogant/provide lengthy justification here, I'm clearly the best in my year by quite a long way at maths :o:

Also, we have about 10 people sitting it each year in year 12 (the eager ones in the further maths class) so I have pressure to do better than them.

Plus a very good mathematician in the year above me (we're about on par in terms of qualifications, BMO scores etc, and he's also the best in his year by far) easily got an S last year and when I joined the sixth form I was labelled by people who don't know me as "the new [his name]".

It's not that they're saying to me "you have to get an S", it's just I know they think (too) highly of my skill and I want to match their expectation (even though I don't think I'm that great) rather than suffer the consequences of their expectation being brought down to realistic levels in August/September.

EDIT: Oh and it's she :o:

Reply 782

aeiou81

10

SimonM

To be honest, if aeiou89 is who I think she is, her teachers are quite right to predict her an S, and she really shouldn't be worrying.

I'm sure you'll do brilliantly, just relax, you're taking this paper for fun remember, enjoy it.

Thanks, but I don't think I am who you think I am, I've no idea who you are! :o:

And yeah, I know and I do enjoy the maths, I just don't want to get into a state of panic in the exam, do terribly and ruin the teachers expectations of me.

Also, I'll be applying to Cambridge this Autumn most likely, so if I can't even get an S or 1 in STEP I, what's to say I can in STEP II and III when they're clearly much harder? :frown:

Reply 783

Daniel Freedman

7

mikru

Three hours is an awfully long time.

Hmm. I'm not sure it will seem like that tomorrow :p:

EDIT: 2000th post.

Reply 784

My Alt

12

aeiou81

Thanks, but I don't think I am who you think I am, I've no idea who you are! :o:

And yeah, I know and I do enjoy the maths, I just don't want to get into a state of panic in the exam, do terribly and ruin the teachers expectations of me.

Also, I'll be applying to Cambridge this Autumn most likely, so if I can't even get an S or 1 in STEP I, what's to say I can in STEP II and III when they're clearly much harder? :frown:

You'll have a years more experience. If you're doing STEP I now, you'll be in fine shape by this time next year.

Reply 785

Elongar

4

around

Well, if you repeatedly cube root a number, it coverges to 1. So if you define a sequence such that

a_{n+1} = \sqrt[3]{a_n}

, and

a_1 = 5

, then the limit of this sequence is 1. So just multiply throughout by m and you're done (since an irrational number multiplied by a rational number is still irrational).

Just to interject some (probably unnecessary) nitpicking:

What if

m = 0

Reply 786

Oh I Really Don't Care

17

My Alt

The induction in the question is for

m\geq1

so it follows directly from that.

I think the idea was to take some integer m and add (m-1) to the aforementioned sequence - multiplying by an integer, say m, that is zero simply gives a rational number straight away.

Reply 787

mikru

Daniel Freedman

Hmm. I'm not sure it will seem like that tomorrow :p:

EDIT: 2000th post.

Haha. The state of my ability in SETP III (or lack of), dictates that I will probably find tomorrow to be the longest, most soul destroying three hours of my life. :P

If I was a bit better, I might struggle to get my solutions finished in three hours; as it stands I'm more worried about getting them started!

Reply 788

My Alt

12

Yes, I see now, I deleted the post just in time. (I do that way too often >:V)

Regardless yes, I would have lost some marks on that question, because I stated a particular value of m (m=1) rather than multiplying through by m.

Reply 789

Oh I Really Don't Care

17

We can post up solutions / problems tomorrow after the exam ?

Reply 790

Tempeststurm

7

It's an international exam, so probably not immediately.

From the sticky: For Edexcel/STEP: morning exams may not be discussed until 12:00 AM (GMT) and afternoon exams until 4:30 AM (GMT).

12 hour wait

OP

DeanK22

We can post up solutions / problems tomorrow after the exam ?

Not immediately. It's usually a next day jobbie. Which means I wont be doing much for STEP III as I have 6 hours on Tuesday.

Depending on how the ball goes on the Wednesday depends on how much I'll do on Thursday for STEP II

Reply 793

miml

17

Anyone else done I 2008. What did you think? I thought 1 was ok (harder than previous q1s but doable). 3 was straightforward, and 4 just a trig question really. Could get those 3 out quickly. Sort of did 2 but why the different cases for b and c?
Seen 6 before so that was OK, and when I saw 13 I laughed, not as much as the goat question of 2007 though.

EDIT: the goat may have been in 2006 actually.

Reply 794

My Alt

12

I 08 is a really nice paper. 2 was nice, 4 was nice, 6 was nice, 8 was nice. All but the last parts of 1, 3 and 5 were nice.

Reply 795

SimonM

OP

18

miml

Anyone else done I 2008. What did you think? I thought 1 was ok (harder than previous q1s but doable). 3 was straightforward, and 4 just a trig question really. Could get those 3 out quickly. Sort of did 2 but why the different cases for b and c?
Seen 6 before so that was OK, and when I saw 13 I laughed, not as much as the goat question of 2007 though.

I did it last year.

From memory it was easier than usual, and contained a few too many "gift" questions

Reply 796

The Muon

2

Daniel Freedman

Hmm. I'm not sure it will seem like that tomorrow :p:

EDIT: 2000th post.

Reply 797

around

13

Elongar

Just to interject some (probably unnecessary) nitpicking:

What if

m = 0

Define

a_1 < 1

Reply 798

Hashshashin

13

AAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!! :zomg:

Over the last few weeks I've done the STEP III papers from 1999-2007 under timed conditions, and have got 80-95/120 on all of them.

I did STEP III 2008 under timed conditions today, and failed to complete a single question...

:unsure: