Edexcel FP3 - 27th June, 2016

Original post by Mihael_Keehl

Those ofqual parasites.

Yeah same :frown:

Also C4 S4 on the same day!!!!

C3 M5 omg.

Exams seems late this year.

You're sitting way too many exams this year, mate :tongue:

Did you just do AS Maths last year?

Reply 21

Mihael_Keehl

Original post by aymanzayedmannan

You're sitting way too many exams this year, mate :tongue:

Did you just do AS Maths last year?

idd :P
Yes although I have learnt most of the content then.

Reply 22

tiny hobbit

Original post by aymanzayedmannan

I think it depends on your luck and whether the invigilator is benevolent enough to give you a break or not.

What I'm more worried about is which exam goes first and whether I have a choice. I really don't want to sit S2 first - it'd make me fall asleep and FP3 would hammer me afterwards.

It's up to your school/college. At the college where I used to teach, the students were given the choice of which order they did them in.

Reply 23

Louisb19

14

Is anyone else praying for an easy vector question. I feel like vectors is the hardest topic, I sometimes get mixed up when it comes to the different formulae (skew lines ect). I guess more practice is in order!

Reply 24

username1162972

Original post by Louisb19

Is anyone else praying for an easy vector question. I feel like vectors is the hardest topic, I sometimes get mixed up when it comes to the different formulae (skew lines ect). I guess more practice is in order!

It has not been hard for a few years actually(geomtery has been the hardest tbh and maybe reduction). Maybe its due to come now :wink:

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Reply 25

M1 and FP2 on the same day also, I wonder which one of those will be getting more attention :laugh:

Reply 26

Original post by aymanzayedmannan

Did anyone do the mixed exercises from Chapter 2? They're absolutely dreadful...

Spent about 1.5 hours trying to do question 1 and hitting about 5 dead ends after pages and pages of algebraic mess! :laugh:

So I went on SolutionBank for the answer, how would anyone think to use the tanx identity :dontknow:

, at least now I know . Question 4 was also disgusting

Reply 27

Louisb19

14

Original post by DylanJ42

Spent about 1.5 hours trying to do question 1 and hitting about 5 dead ends after pages and pages of algebraic mess! :laugh:

So I went on SolutionBank for the answer, how would anyone think to use the tanx identity :dontknow:

, at least now I know . Question 4 was also disgusting

You should always consider those trig identities when it comes to FP3. I know last year quite a few people failed to recognise that factor formula had to be used for a (integration?) question.

Reply 28

Original post by Louisb19

You should always consider those trig identities when it comes to FP3. I know last year quite a few people failed to recognise that factor formula had to be used for a (integration?) question.

I just hope past papers get me up to scratch for the test, FP3 is a really nice challenge though, I'm thoroughly enjoying it so far

Reply 29

Covington4

19

Do any of you guys self-teach FP3? I am planning to do it so just wanted to know if anyone else did and how they went about doing it? Was it difficult? I am still on edge on whether to self-teach FP3 and FP2 or just do one. :biggrin:

Good luck everyone for this exam also!

Reply 30

Ayman!

OP

Original post by Ben4

Do any of you guys self-teach FP3? I am planning to do it so just wanted to know if anyone else did and how they went about doing it? Was it difficult? I am still on edge on whether to self-teach FP3 and FP2 or just do one. :biggrin:

Good luck everyone for this exam also!

I did. I haven't finished the course (still haven't started matrices) but the concepts themselves aren't too difficult. Visualising vectors might be a challenge but ExamSolutions was a lifesaver as the FP3 vectors section is complete. Go for it, the more pure the better.

Reply 31

Covington4

19

Original post by aymanzayedmannan

I did. I haven't finished the course (still haven't started matrices) but the concepts themselves aren't too difficult. Visualising vectors might be a challenge but ExamSolutions was a lifesaver as the FP3 vectors section is complete. Go for it, the more pure the better.

Thanks. I havent experienced FM yet but I believe I would enjoy the 3 FP modules, its just getting through them. Maybe its a lack of confidence putting me off? :biggrin:

thank you for the reassurance!
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Reply 32

KMan98

2

Original post by Ben4

Do any of you guys self-teach FP3? I am planning to do it so just wanted to know if anyone else did and how they went about doing it? Was it difficult? I am still on edge on whether to self-teach FP3 and FP2 or just do one. :biggrin:

Good luck everyone for this exam also!

Unfortunately no one can tell you how difficult it will be, one persons difficult is another persons trivial. However what I can tell you is that it is certainly possible to self teach, many people do so. I'm self teaching all 18 modules and I dont consider myself gifted at all.

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Reply 33

math42

20

Original post by Ben4

Do any of you guys self-teach FP3? I am planning to do it so just wanted to know if anyone else did and how they went about doing it? Was it difficult? I am still on edge on whether to self-teach FP3 and FP2 or just do one. :biggrin:

Good luck everyone for this exam also!

I self-taught it entirely last year (academic year that is, in uni now) and got 95UMS. Given the lenient grade boundaries, my personal goals, and my mark-scheme based prediction I was quite disappointed to be honest but such a score is certainly sufficient for any uni place so I should be qualified to comment lol.
Just do lots and lots and lots of practice, as with any maths module. With further coordinate geometry questions, really think about what is going on - this is the area where they have screwed people both this year and last year. The calculus is quite nice and fun and shouldn't be too hard but you still shouldn't skimp on the practice. Vectors can be tricky and deserve a lot of thought; matrices are a matter of memorisation and paying attention to a load of boring crap lol. If you want to do maths at uni, the combo of FP2 and FP3 is probably quite a good choice. Otherwise there are many easier modules than FP3 which you can use to solidify or ensure the grade you want (if you only do one, I recommend FP2; I think the modules are semi-equal in terms of usefulness, but the complex number and second order ODE stuff in FP2 is particularly significant).

Reply 34

Covington4

19

Original post by KMan98

Unfortunately no one can tell you how difficult it will be, one persons difficult is another persons trivial. However what I can tell you is that it is certainly possible to self teach, many people do so. I'm self teaching all 18 modules and I dont consider myself gifted at all.

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Yeah I appreciate difficulty is subjective. Wow thats cool, how are you finding all the late modules? Are you taking exams for all of the modules? As a private candidate?

Original post by 1 8 13 20 42

I self-taught it entirely last year (academic year that is, in uni now) and got 95UMS. Given the lenient grade boundaries, my personal goals, and my mark-scheme based prediction I was quite disappointed to be honest but such a score is certainly sufficient for any uni place so I should be qualified to comment lol.
Just do lots and lots and lots of practice, as with any maths module. With further coordinate geometry questions, really think about what is going on - this is the area where they have screwed people both this year and last year. The calculus is quite nice and fun and shouldn't be too hard but you still shouldn't skimp on the practice. Vectors can be tricky and deserve a lot of thought; matrices are a matter of memorisation and paying attention to a load of boring crap lol. If you want to do maths at uni, the combo of FP2 and FP3 is probably quite a good choice. Otherwise there are many easier modules than FP3 which you can use to solidify or ensure the grade you want (if you only do one, I recommend FP2; I think the modules are semi-equal in terms of usefulness, but the complex number and second order ODE stuff in FP2 is particularly significant).

Yeah I am planning to study Maths at Uni so yh Fp3 and Fp2 seem like the best to do. Thanks for the helpful advice! :biggrin:

im teaching myself FM during my gap year, do you think I should start with Fp1-3 first so I get a lot of practice? Thanks.

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Reply 35

KMan98

2

Original post by Ben4

Yeah I appreciate difficulty is subjective. Wow thats cool, how are you finding all the late modules? Are you taking exams for all of the modules? As a private candidate?

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Im yet to do the late statistics/ mechanics modules, but fp2/3 didn't cause me any problems. I'm sitting the exams at my school.

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Reply 36

questionanswer.jpg131.4KB

Hey guys, I hope FP3 is going good for everyone, I have a question about matrices and inverses;

I have a query about Question 1b

Here is my working (I am aware simult equations is the best method, however what is wrong with the method i used)

I am assuming, bar some silly arithmetic error, that this is wrong because the inverse of the inverse of a transformation doesn't give you the transformation itself ie

(T^{-1})^{-1} \neq T

, if this is the case, could someone please explain why

Thanks :biggrin:

question.jpg202.7KB

Reply 37

math42

20

Original post by DylanJ42

Hey guys, I hope FP3 is going good for everyone, I have a question about matrices and inverses;

I have a query about Question 1b

Here is my working (I am aware simult equations is the best method, however what is wrong with the method i used)

I am assuming, bar some silly arithmetic error, that this is wrong because the inverse of the inverse of a transformation doesn't give you the transformation itself ie

(T^{-1})^{-1} \neq T

, if this is the case, could someone please explain why

Thanks :biggrin:

Nah the inverse of the inverse is the matrix you started with...your method shouldn't be wrong and I can't find any arithmetic errors. Even multiplied your matrix by T^(-1) and it gives the identity. I didn't check the last bit as thoroughly but I didn't see anything wrong there either. Might investigate a bit more..

Reply 38