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

Moving on to some STEP II discussion, I am hoping that they have a "here's a sequence find some constant so that the sequence is periodic, period 2 etc." For example 2008 Q1. Apart from that, as long as there is a good integration and differential equations question I will be happy. Also some good stats would make me happy.

Reply 981

nota bene

15

Continue the calculus based trend and nice stats and maybe some easy sketches and trig - then I'll be happy. Vectors, geometry of any form, number theory and long winded algebra, no thanks!

Reply 982

qgujxj39

17

Glutamic Acid

Done.

Very cryptic :beard:

Reply 983

qgujxj39

17

TheTallOne

It's so strange.

Normally you would think to register beforehand.

'Please make sure you register no earlier than 10 days before the advertised results release date.'

EDIT: I registered :confused:

It says I'm taking STEP when I log in. Hmmmm...

I too registered when I got home, having completely misread the "register no earlier than 10 days before the advertised results release date" part. I realised my mistake, and e-mailed them straight away, and they said:

Dear Tom

Please don't be concerned, while you will not have gained anything by attempting to register early, you will not have done any damage. Please wait until the 10th August and then log on to retrieve your results.

Phew!

Reply 984

My Alt

12

I would love an approximation question like 2007 - II - 1.

Reply 985

nchen5

tommm

I too registered when I got home, having completely misread the "register no earlier than 10 days before the advertised results release date" part. I realised my mistake, and e-mailed them straight away, and they said:

Dear Tom

Please don't be concerned, while you will not have gained anything by attempting to register early, you will not have done any damage. Please wait until the 10th August and then log on to retrieve your results.

Phew!

Is that reply implying that we can get results on the 10th?

Reply 986

qgujxj39

17

nchen5

Is that reply implying that we can get results on the 10th?

Nope, it's saying you have to register after the 10th (i.e. less than 10 days in advance) in order to receive your results on the 20th.

A nice thought, though :p:

Reply 987

Meeton

I haven't really given much thought to Step II before now- while preparing for Step 3 I just considered it an 'easier version'. Is that fair enough do you think? Or will I have trouble tomorrow having not done II questions for a while?

Reply 988

Xei

6

Okay, right, how do people think I'll be graded for this? :frown:

The integral transformation question: I got all the results but wasn't sure what to do for the last bit; I used all the previous results in the correct order but wasn't sure what I was supposed to be replacing; I repeatedly replaced s. :l

The xy, zy, xz etc. question; I showed all the results but couldn't do the last bit; how many marks would the first half have been worth?

The induction question; I did the first induction fine and then showed the second in the case n=0 but couldn't get any further.

And then the last question with the integral I got it all out.

I'm desperately hoping this is worth a 2.

Reply 989

qgujxj39

17

Xei

Okay, right, how do people think I'll be graded for this? :frown:

The integral transformation question: I got all the results but wasn't sure what to do for the last bit; I used all the previous results in the correct order but wasn't sure what I was supposed to be replacing; I repeatedly replaced s. :l

That sounds correct. The final answer was

\dfrac{p + a}{(p + a)^2 + b^2}

(except the letters used were diferent).

Reply 990

miml

17

Meeton

I haven't really given much thought to Step II before now- while preparing for Step 3 I just considered it an 'easier version'. Is that fair enough do you think? Or will I have trouble tomorrow having not done II questions for a while?

As with all STEP papers, you can see something on I which would be fair on III and (occasionally) see something on III that could be on I.

Overall I reckon doing III should be enough preparation for II.

Reply 991

Xei

6

That sounds correct. The final answer was \dfrac{p + a}{(p + a)^2 + b^2} (except the letters used were diferent).

Yay I think I got that, but I may have expanded the denominator.

I also got up to showing that a=0 on Q2 which is likely worth about 2 marks. :l

If it turns out that the first halves of the algabra Q and the induction Q were worth a reasonable chuck of the question, I might have scraped a 2.

Then again my college gave me an offer which indicates they thoroughly hate me so I'll never get in with that. :'l

Reply 992

qgujxj39

17

Xei

Yay I think I got that, but I may have expanded the denominator.

I also got up to showing that a=0 on Q2 which is likely worth about 2 marks. :l

If it turns out that the first halves of the algabra Q and the induction Q were worth a reasonable chuck of the question, I might have scraped a 2.

Then again my college gave me an offer which indicates they thoroughly hate me so I'll never get in with that. :'l

I'd guess that showing p+q=0 in Q1 would only be worth a few marks, because it came out quite quickly. If you found mn and m+n (or whatever the letter were called), then you'll probably get more than half marks.

Wait, am I the only person who hates questions on induction on a series?

Reply 993

Xei

6

tommm

I'd guess that showing p+q=0 in Q1 would only be worth a few marks, because it came out quite quickly. If you found mn and m+n (or whatever the letter were called), then you'll probably get more than half marks.

Wait, am I the only person who hates questions on induction on a series?

Sorry, I was talking about the xy, zy, zx etc. question (5 I think). :smile:

I normally love induction questions but this one was tricky.

I basically replaced the Pn think with the fn and differentiated both sides again but ended up having to differentiate a complex product of three functions so assumed I'd gone very wrong.

Reply 994

qgujxj39

17

Xei

Sorry, I was talking about the xy, zy, zx etc. question (5 I think). :smile:

Ah, sorry, didn't do that one either.

Reply 995

SouthernFreerider

12

miml

Moving on to some STEP II discussion, I am hoping that they have a "here's a sequence find some constant so that the sequence is periodic, period 2 etc." For example 2008 Q1. Apart from that, as long as there is a good integration and differential equations question I will be happy. Also some good stats would make me happy.

i would love that to happen :smile:

pretty quick and easy marks = perfect starter question to get on a roll.

Reply 996

mellowharry

dfranklin - (suggesting what I think, and being fairly accurate too) - "Of course they should let a 14 year old go to university, and they're silly and unenlightened to think otherwise". Well it would be 15 but yes - I do see universities as public institutions and I believe the role of admissions tutor shouldn't exist (as it doesn't in some countries). It's not in me to advise crawling to people either, as though one is applying for a job, rather than considering buying a service from a public body which also gets a lot of public funding. If a person has unusual needs, those should be met, just as if they are disabled or 96 years old or whatever. Met at public expense. A university is there to provide a public service. It doesn't belong to the admission tutors or senior fellows. It belongs to the people.

Mr M - you talk about what you "always" think, which suggests you have a wide knowledge that applies to all such cases (or you think it does), but the term "acceleration" involves a comparison with the norm which doesn't get to the essence at all... (Try applying it to Gauss or to half of the people who've won Fields Medals). If someone goes to university at 15, they will get some things out of it that a person who goes at 18 won't, and they won't get other things that a person who goes at 18 will. Ditto if they're 47. Indeed the same's true with 2 people, both 18, born on the same day. No problem. Who wants to be "normal"? :yep:

My opinion is that 17-19 is about the worst possible age to go to university, what with all the peer (i.e. corporate) pressure. I was 16 when I went, didn't like it and dropped out after a year. Wasn't bright enough to go at 13-14-15 but if I had been and had had support from a parent (but my mother didn't go to university and so knew little about such stuff), I probably would have loved it. Then I went back again at 22 (a pretty grown up 22 even by 1980s standards), doing a degree where I was actually younger than the median age (don't worry, it wasn't sociology!) - and loved it and got a first. I do accept though that 18 may be a very good age for some people. Folks differ. (Albeit that many folks don't differ enough - when I think what proportion of people on the London Tube fiddle about with electronic gadgetry during their journeys, it doesn't give me much hope). But one thing remains true throughout the ages - great men and women stand alone. "Works well in a team" reads best in an application for a rubbish job.

The people who decide what's best for children educationally are legally (and sensibly) their parents - unfortunately a little-known fact because of the whole smell of deference (even to people such as school-teachers) that pervades Britain... Of course they can take advice and hire agents if they wish, and often do - and some of those agents can give some good advice and provide some useful services.

Universities should publish quantitative requirements for entry onto each course they offer. If parents have been to university themselves, so they know what it's about, and have home-educated a child and believe they're ready at 14 or whenever, then really they should just have to write to the university and enrol them, and the university should be legally required to sort out any required special arrangements...

Anyway I must dash - I am supposed to be emigrating to New Zealand in 5 hours time, so won't be coming here again. Thanks for the responses, which I appreciate and will pass on to the people concerned.

Reply 997

bavink

11

STEP I yesterday, i was starting to get on well on question 2, some silly ******* ** *** ***** got his science experiment wrong and set off the fire alarm, for a good 20 minutes, i lost my momentum, and by the time i got it back i knocked out most of 7 and 8, then ran out of time. Pretty furious at that kid, but I suppose nothing can be done about it now, it coincided with my leavers assembly as well. Complete cluster****