C3/C4 Units for FP2

Maths and statistics discussion, revision, exam and homework help.

Announcements Posted on
TSR launches Learn Together! - Our new subscription to help improve your learning 16-05-2013
IMPORTANT: You must wait until midnight (morning exams)/4.30AM (afternoon exams) to discuss Edexcel exams and until 1pm/6pm the following day for STEP and IB exams. Please read before posting, including for rules for practical and oral exams. 28-04-2013
Sign in to Reply
  1. Hamburglar's Avatar
    • Respected Member
    • Posts: 209
    C3/C4 Units for FP2
    Hey guys, a lot of you said in my last thread that FP2 without C3/C4 knowledge is a very bad idea.

    Can you guys please give me a list of the topics in C3 and C4 that I should check out before heading off into FP2?

    Thanks.
  2. justanotherposter's Avatar
    • Benevolent Member
    • Posts: 880
    Re: C3/C4 Units for FP2
    Basically all of the integration and differentiation stuff. Double angle formulae. Exponentials and logarithms.

    You're better off just sitting C3/C4 first, FP2 continues on from it a lot.
  3. TheJ0ker's Avatar
    • Peer Of The TSR Realm
    • Location: Four dimensional paradise
    • Posts: 1,729
    Re: C3/C4 Units for FP2
    (Original post by Hamburglar)
    Hey guys, a lot of you said in my last thread that FP2 without C3/C4 knowledge is a very bad idea.

    Can you guys please give me a list of the topics in C3 and C4 that I should check out before heading off into FP2?

    Thanks.
    All of C3 really except numerical methods. On C4 everything except vectors, and maybe get away with not doing binomial stuff.
  4. notnek's Avatar
    • TSR Demigod
    • Location: Bangkok, Thailand
    Re: C3/C4 Units for FP2
    Why are you doing FP2 before C3/4?
  5. raheem94's Avatar
    • TSR Demigod
    • Posts: 5,512
    Re: C3/C4 Units for FP2
    (Original post by notnek)
    Why are you doing FP2 before C3/4?
    He says his school follows this system.

    This is the thing that is surprising me as well, how can somebody do FP2 without doing C3 and C4.

    Look at this thread.
    Last edited by raheem94; 02-06-2012 at 19:23.
  6. Hamburglar's Avatar
    • Respected Member
    • Posts: 209
    Re: C3/C4 Units for FP2
    Okay thanks guys.

    God knows, my school is stupid so I'm doing FP2 first.

    I've hardly had any tuition for it because since I'm the only one doing Further Maths, they've shafted it to "enrichment" which is one lesson a week.

    I'd rather just get on with it though and try get the highest grade possible rather than throw a fuss.

    EDIT: What I'd really appreciate actually, is if someone could tell me if the questions are repeated a lot. I haven't had a chance to look at any past papers yet but if the same sort of questions come up in every series, then perhaps I can get away just learning certain aspects appropriate to FP2.
    Last edited by Hamburglar; 02-06-2012 at 19:26.
  7. PhysicsGirl's Avatar
    • Respected Member
    • Posts: 216
    Re: C3/C4 Units for FP2
    (Original post by Hamburglar)
    Hey guys, a lot of you said in my last thread that FP2 without C3/C4 knowledge is a very bad idea.

    Can you guys please give me a list of the topics in C3 and C4 that I should check out before heading off into FP2?

    Thanks.
    Which exam board are you on?

    And whilst it is unusual, it's not entirely unheard of- at my college, I studied (AQA) FP2 at the same time as C3, and before C4. I'd recommend looking at C3 + C4 integration / differentiation techniques (including using double angle formulae), C4 partial fractions and algebraic manipulations, and the C4 vector stuff can really help with understanding Loci in the complex plane.
  8. notnek's Avatar
    • TSR Demigod
    • Location: Bangkok, Thailand
    Re: C3/C4 Units for FP2
    (Original post by PhysicsGirl)
    Which exam board are you on?

    And whilst it is unusual, it's not entirely unheard of- at my college, I studied (AQA) FP2 at the same time as C3, and before C4.
    I've never heard of this before today but it seems like it's pretty common. Do you know the reason why a school would decide do do it this way?
  9. Hamburglar's Avatar
    • Respected Member
    • Posts: 209
    Re: C3/C4 Units for FP2
    (Original post by PhysicsGirl)
    Which exam board are you on?

    And whilst it is unusual, it's not entirely unheard of- at my college, I studied (AQA) FP2 at the same time as C3, and before C4. I'd recommend looking at C3 + C4 integration / differentiation techniques (including using double angle formulae), C4 partial fractions and algebraic manipulations, and the C4 vector stuff can really help with understanding Loci in the complex plane.
    Okay thanks a lot for that.

    I'm starting to get scared now, and I might just sit it next year instead.
  10. PhysicsGirl's Avatar
    • Respected Member
    • Posts: 216
    Re: C3/C4 Units for FP2
    (Original post by notnek)
    I've never heard of this before today but it seems like it's pretty common. Do you know the reason why a school would decide do do it this way?
    I'm not really sure why; I think at my college it was more convenient for timetabling reasons. And I do agree that it's not the easiest way round; FP2 is more accessible when you've done C3 + C4, and it's a very difficult mathematics module (although my favourite of the six I've studied).
  11. Hamburglar's Avatar
    • Respected Member
    • Posts: 209
    Re: C3/C4 Units for FP2
    Alright guys, just a bump on this thread. I know you've already been helpful but I just want to confirm that what I'm doing is right. Basically, I've decided to learn much of C3/C4 in the coming week. You might be thinking, what the ****? But I'm willing to work continuously on it, and I did C2 in less than a week so that's some hope.

    These are the topics that I have chosen:

    Core 3 Functions
    Core 3 Algebraic Fractions
    A2 Differentiation
    A2 Integration
    Partial Fractions
    A2 Trigonometry
    Natural Logs / Euler's Number

    I'm hoping to avoid vectors really, and also binomial expansion. I have a very good understanding of the binomial expansion in C2, and that includes the nCr method as well as that formula for the form: (1+ax)^n.

    So if I comprehensively learn all of that, do you think I should be good to start FP2?

    EDIT: Also guys, can you perhaps suggest what order I should learn them in? I don't want to have to start doing differentiation, and then come up with a trig identity I've never heard of. Thanks.
    Last edited by Hamburglar; 03-06-2012 at 12:06.
  12. Iabdel's Avatar
    • New Member
    • Posts: 9
    Re: C3/C4 Units for FP2
    how do i integrate (3-5x)/(1-x)(2-3x) , please
  13. raheem94's Avatar
    • TSR Demigod
    • Posts: 5,512
    Re: C3/C4 Units for FP2
    (Original post by Iabdel)
    how do i integrate (3-5x)/(1-x)(2-3x) , please
    Why don't you make your own thread for this question?

    To solve the question, form partial fractions.
  14. Iabdel's Avatar
    • New Member
    • Posts: 9
    Re: C3/C4 Units for FP2
    i just did , thank you ! yeah i have done that but it seems the ln doesn't have the same base which is why i dont get the same answer as the book ,
  15. raheem94's Avatar
    • TSR Demigod
    • Posts: 5,512
    Re: C3/C4 Units for FP2
    (Original post by Iabdel)
    i just did , thank you ! yeah i have done that but it seems the ln doesn't have the same base which is why i dont get the same answer as the book ,
    What answer do you get?
    What is the book's answer?
Sign in to Reply
Share this discussion:  
Article updates
Moderators

We have a brilliant team of more than 60 volunteers looking after discussions on The Student Room, helping to make it a fun, safe and useful place to hang out.

Reputation gems:
The Reputation gems seen here indicate how well reputed the user is, red gem indicate negative reputation and green indicates a good rep.
Post rating score:
These scores show if a post has been positively or negatively rated by our members.