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

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Is it me, or is question one ridiculously long and tedious?
squeezebox
Is it me, or is question one ridiculously long and tedious?

Yes, I agree - an absolutely terrible question. There seems to be a lot of uninspired algebra bashing in the paper, and if you're even vaguely familiar with determinants/group theory, Q2 and Q5 seem far too easy. Q2 in particular looks like a standard textbook question that I would usually be inclined to skip to avoid the tedium... :s-smilie:
Q2 is a complete gift (just row rewduce it, or work out determinant in case you don't know row reduction).

I agree that 1 looks long. I'll start doing it now and look how long it takes:p:
nota bene
Bump the respective solutions threads I think? (As the questions are already there - and there's already a load of discussion in them)

-note I'm speaking as a member and not a mod, so if you think it's better with separate discussion threads, then go for it-


*heads off to look at III 96 to be able to comment on Dystopia's question*

Personally I think new threads are a good idea. I dunno about anyone else, but the majority of my STEP revision was done in those solution threads on TSR, and it was very helpful in a way that simply going back and bumping old threads couldn't have been.
I didn't use matrices for question 2, (I havent done them yet) -

Spoiler

. The paper does seem a bit routine...I wonder if module man could do it :tongue:. I found Question 7 a bit simple for STEP III aswell, so I'm off to check my solution now, to see if I've missed something.
We still have the 1988 and 1989 solutions to complete - I'll go bump 1989 now. Some one should start at 1988 thread ;yes;.
Dystopia
The problem is that there are comparatively few people doing STEP this year who are active - would it really be worth it?

Worth it for what purpose? Of course it'd be worth it for the practice for the few people who are doing STEP. You might not get through as many threads, but who cares? I certainly wasn't doing it to have a big base of worked solutions for STEP at the end of it, I was doing it purely for the practice.
anyone know of any websites that have all of the AEA and STEP papers apart from some "md salih" site which i cannot seem to link to in HTML.
squeezebox
Is it me, or is question one ridiculously long and tedious?

Having now looked at it properly I don't feel it's that long, except I can't seem to get the last part right:/

Spoiler



edit: I realise this is completely the wrong thread to post this in - will move it or something in the morning!
Nota: I can't actually work out what your "k=0,r=0" sum is supposed to mean - if k and r are supposed to be related I've no idea how I'm supposed to know how from what you've written.

The other pain that I don't think you've addressed: the "middle" terms. That is, not everything will pair nicely when n is even, there's a constant term in the middle that needs special consideration.
DFranklin
Nota: I can't actually work out what your "k=0,r=0" sum is supposed to mean - if k and r are supposed to be related I've no idea how I'm supposed to know how from what you've written.

That looked weird to me too. I think it's just two separate sums - k from 0 to m, r from 0 to floor(m/2).
generalebriety
That looked weird to me too. I think it's just two separate sums - k from 0 to m, r from 0 to floor(m/2).
That would be the logical assumption, but unless I'm being stoopid, that sum is so obviously not right (and doesn't seem to come from anywhere) that I don't think it's what Nota means.
DFranklin
The other pain that I don't think you've addressed: the "middle" terms. That is, not everything will pair nicely when n is even, there's a constant term in the middle that needs special consideration.

I'm aware of the middle term, but cosh(0)=1 and that's supposed to be in my sum so I'm trying to get it to work, but there seems to be a factor of 2 that is wrong in some places.


GE's interpretation is right of what I meant, and I see that it's a useless attempt from me:p: I originally had c2+s2=222m∑k=0m(2m2k)cosh⁡(2(m−2k)x)c^2+s^2=\frac{2}{2^{2m}}\displaystyle\sum_{k=0}^{m}\binom{2m}{2k}\cosh(2(m-2k)x) but that will continue to 'run' after cosh(0) which isn't desired (and the binomial coefficient will not be associated with the right term). Also there is a mysterious 2 that is lacking on the cosh(2mx) terms more or less throughout.
I think you can get it to work using cosh(0), but I think you should mention that's what you're doing. Of course, I may only be saying that because I didn't spot you could use cosh(0) to represent the constant term when I did the question!

What you need to do is rewrite your expression for sinh^2m to look like the one for cosh^2m and then add the two series term by term.
DFranklin
I think you can get it to work using cosh(0), but I think you should mention that's what you're doing. Of course, I may only be saying that because I didn't spot you could use cosh(0) to represent the constant term when I did the question!

Ah, okay - I felt it was obvious to me.

What you need to do is rewrite your expression for sinh^2m to look like the one for cosh^2m and then add the two series term by term.

working

Reply 155
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Square
13
Was 96/III a rather easy paper?

I've not really looked at many STEP III questions (mainly out of fear) and I've managed to get 3 or so out in the last 2 and a half hours.

STEP III isn't looking as scary anymore!

working



^ Someone who's done the question and can make sense of my above attempt? I just looked at this again, and I don't see how to make it work.
Nota, can you break it down a bit and explain exactly what your problem is? (As I ranted when I answered this, the most difficult part is simply working out a way of expressing what's going on. Which means it's hard to understand someone else's attempt).

Have you checked that your "general" expressions work for the specific cases you worked out in the first part of the question? [Sounds silly, but I seem to recall finding several mistakes in my own working for this question by doing that].
I asked the exams officer today about payment and he said that they still haven't sent a bill. Or, indeed, the papers. I wonder if this could be a problem...
Reply 159
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Square
13
Zhen Lin
I asked the exams officer today about payment and he said that they still haven't sent a bill. Or, indeed, the papers. I wonder if this could be a problem...


I just registered for it a few weeks ago, I'm sitting it at the school where my mum teaches.

They have still not sent a bill or anything - I think in my case the school will just get invoiced and we will have to pay the corresponding fees.

As for the papers, I think they are sent electronically on the day of the actual exam to try and prevent any foul play.

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