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Do you think it's possible to revise a topic in one of your subjects too much?

I've done about 11 hours on this particular topic in one of my subjects over the past two days and it's just not going in. I'm not sure if I should leave at a bit and then come back later, or keep battering it until it goes in? Do any of you have any suggestions? Has this happened to anyone before?
Original post by _Caz_
I've done about 11 hours on this particular topic in one of my subjects over the past two days and it's just not going in. I'm not sure if I should leave at a bit and then come back later, or keep battering it until it goes in? Do any of you have any suggestions? Has this happened to anyone before?


This happened to me with maths on Friday and Monday. I spent 7 hours on a particular topic, trying to learn it from the textbook. On Tuesday I went from first principles, deriving every general formula needed for the topic myself and creating useful notes in the process. After deriving it all myself, it all just made sense because I understood how each equation fits together. Maybe do something similar.
If you're not making any progress at all, do something else until you get in a state of mind where you feel like you can tackle this topic or you're just wasting your time.
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_Caz_
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Original post by morgan8002
This happened to me with maths on Friday and Monday. I spent 7 hours on a particular topic, trying to learn it from the textbook. On Tuesday I went from first principles, deriving every general formula needed for the topic myself and creating useful notes in the process. After deriving it all myself, it all just made sense because I understood how each equation fits together. Maybe do something similar.
If you're not making any progress at all, do something else until you get in a state of mind where you feel like you can tackle this topic or you're just wasting your time.


Thanks - it's further maths I'm struggling on. I might see if I can try and derive the equations again and see if it helps. Thanks :smile:
Original post by _Caz_
Thanks - it's further maths I'm struggling on. I might see if I can try and derive the equations again and see if it helps. Thanks :smile:


It's FP4 I was struggling with. I'm self teaching it.
What topic were you struggling with?
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Original post by morgan8002
It's FP4 I was struggling with. I'm self teaching it.
What topic were you struggling with?


Vector geometry in fp3 - distances from planes to points and points lines and scalar triple product and stuff like that :/

What exam board are you? I don't think we have an fp4 in ours (OCR MEI)
Original post by _Caz_
Vector geometry in fp3 - distances from planes to points and points lines and scalar triple product and stuff like that :/

What exam board are you? I don't think we have an fp4 in ours (OCR MEI)


AQA, FP4 is vectors and matrices.
It seems we were both stuck on roughly the same stuff. I was stuck on equations of lines and planes, angles between lines and planes, angles between planes and planes, distances between planes and points.

Deriving the equations from first principles is the way to go.
Find someone (fellow student, teacher) who understands it to explain it to you on a simple level. Sometimes you just need something shown in a different way to reading it in order to understand it at the most basic level. Don't be embarrassed, everyone has some things they struggle at for weeks before suddenly getting it (in a second).
Original post by _Caz_
I've done about 11 hours on this particular topic in one of my subjects over the past two days and it's just not going in. I'm not sure if I should leave at a bit and then come back later, or keep battering it until it goes in? Do any of you have any suggestions? Has this happened to anyone before?


Yes, just step back, take a break and then move on to something else. Sometimes, you just aren't able to know everything.

Posted from TSR Mobile
Reply 8
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Original post by Comeback
Find someone (fellow student, teacher) who understands it to explain it to you on a simple level. Sometimes you just need something shown in a different way to reading it in order to understand it at the most basic level. Don't be embarrassed, everyone has some things they struggle at for weeks before suddenly getting it (in a second).


Thanks for your advice on this I've already tried asking some people in class that understand it but I'm going to ask my teacher again :smile:
Reply 9
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_Caz_
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Original post by morgan8002
AQA, FP4 is vectors and matrices.
It seems we were both stuck on roughly the same stuff. I was stuck on equations of lines and planes, angles between lines and planes, angles between planes and planes, distances between planes and points.

Deriving the equations from first principles is the way to go.


Okay thanks - I'll try this too :smile:
Reply 10
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Original post by bobsta10
Yes, just step back, take a break and then move on to something else. Sometimes, you just aren't able to know everything.

Posted from TSR Mobile


Thanks - I'm gonna try and ask my teacher one more time and then if not give it a rest a little while. :smile:

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