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.

Reply 1

justanotherposter

14

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.

Reply 2

TheJ0ker

11

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.

Reply 3

Notnek

21

Why are you doing FP2 before C3/4?

Reply 4

raheem94

13

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.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 5

Hamburglar

OP

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.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 6

PhysicsGirl

7

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.

Reply 7

Notnek

21

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?

Reply 8

Hamburglar

OP

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. :smile:

I'm starting to get scared now, and I might just sit it next year instead.

Reply 9

PhysicsGirl

7

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).

Reply 10

Hamburglar

OP

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. :smile:

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.