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AQA A2 MFP3 Further Pure 3 – 18th May 2016 [Exam Discussion Thread]

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Original post by JME_CHG
y r the last 2 parts of the 2015 paper so hard?


the very last part isn't that hard but second to last is pretty damn difficult yeah lol
In the mock I managed to form a cubic and there I gave up :lol:
Original post by C0balt
the very last part isn't that hard but second to last is pretty damn difficult yeah lol
In the mock I managed to form a cubic and there I gave up :lol:


True... & SAME - but my cubic was in terms of sinθ so I didn't spot that crazy trick in the MS... But surely that's as hard as it gets?! That's the hardest one I've ever done... Ever - spent so long trying different ways I thought I was in step... On avg you're supposed to spend 30 mins on a step Q? I spent 45 mins on that second to last part and still got nowhere
Original post by JME_CHG
True... & SAME - but my cubic was in terms of sinθ so I didn't spot that crazy trick in the MS... But surely that's as hard as it gets?! That's the hardest one I've ever done... Ever - spent so long trying different ways I thought I was in step... On avg you're supposed to spend 30 mins on a step Q? I spent 45 mins on that second to last part and still got nowhere


And it was still 67 for an A*. Despite the very high level of difficulty, i think it was a nice question
Original post by JME_CHG
True... & SAME - but my cubic was in terms of sinθ so I didn't spot that crazy trick in the MS... But surely that's as hard as it gets?! That's the hardest one I've ever done... Ever - spent so long trying different ways I thought I was in step... On avg you're supposed to spend 30 mins on a step Q? I spent 45 mins on that second to last part and still got nowhere


yeah i was trying out factor theorem like plugging in simple values but it got me nowhere lmao
at least we will spot it next time we do a similar question...
Original post by Qcomber
And it was still 67 for an A*. Despite the very high level of difficulty, i think it was a nice question


I desperately need 100 in this too... Do you think we have a chance? Or does man have a better chance of inventing a time machine and going back to jan06 to get 100%?
Original post by JME_CHG
I desperately need 100 in this too... Do you think we have a chance? Or does man have a better chance of inventing a time machine and going back to jan06 to get 100%?


Shouldn't be too hard to 100% provided you genuinely understand each topic (i.e. you don't just go through every question on memorisation of techniques).
The few marks that they'll purposely make especially difficult this year (as they've been doing recently) should be made up by grade boundaries but idk.
Original post by C0balt
the very last part isn't that hard but second to last is pretty damn difficult yeah lol
In the mock I managed to form a cubic and there I gave up :lol:


Literally did the exact same haha, thought a cubic was just too weird so I just moved on rip
Reply 127
Avatar for Hjyu1
Hjyu1
2
Anyone hoping for a similar paper to last years? (normal all the way through then a hard polar question )
Id prefer it to be normal all the way, with a harder 2nd order substitution question since I understand DE a lot more after going through the edexcel questions
Original post by Hjyu1
Anyone hoping for a similar paper to last years? (normal all the way through then a hard polar question )


Yes
Reply 130
Avatar for jjsnyder
jjsnyder
OP
10
FP3 2015 becomes a lot more enjoyable after you've done a recent step 3 paper! :facepalm:


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Original post by JME_CHG
True... & SAME - but my cubic was in terms of sinθ so I didn't spot that crazy trick in the MS... But surely that's as hard as it gets?! That's the hardest one I've ever done... Ever - spent so long trying different ways I thought I was in step... On avg you're supposed to spend 30 mins on a step Q? I spent 45 mins on that second to last part and still got nowhere


45 mins?! Gosh you had a lot of time left over. Just did that paper in school today and tbh wasn't bad at all. Polar stuff at the end was a little tricky but wasn't too bad if you worked through it logically.
Original post by jjsnyder
FP3 2015 becomes a lot more enjoyable after you've done a recent step 3 paper! :facepalm:


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I find FP3 papers (not the content though) really boring tbh, especially after doing STEP. But I'd agree that 2014/2015 in FP3 were vaguely enjoyable in some parts.
I find FP2 papers a lot more enjoyable.
Original post by IrrationalRoot
I find FP3 papers (not the content though) really boring tbh, especially after doing STEP. But I'd agree that 2014/2015 in FP3 were vaguely enjoyable in some parts.
I find FP2 papers a lot more enjoyable.

FP4 even better
Original post by Qcomber
FP4 even better


I don't do that module, but will cover it over summer :smile:.
Original post by IrrationalRoot
45 mins?! Gosh you had a lot of time left over. Just did that paper in school today and tbh wasn't bad at all. Polar stuff at the end was a little tricky but wasn't too bad if you worked through it logically.


Yeah exactly! Thought it was mad easy until that point and idk... Guess I got bored and lost concentration

Anyway I'm I right in thinking that we should treat polar like Cartesian?

So for example in Cartesian you have 2 eqns in form of x and y, then can solve for either to get points of intersection...

Is this same for Polar? So it can be either in r or θ instead of x and y's?

In that 2015 I got a cubic in sinθ rather than r's but I didn't think it was correct so didn't even attempt to solve it
Is there a quicker way to work out if we use keˣ or kxeˣ or kx²eˣ for particular integral than using trial and error?
Original post by JME_CHG
Is there a quicker way to work out if we use keˣ or kxeˣ or kx²eˣ for particular integral than using trial and error?


Have you got the AQA textbook?

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Original post by JME_CHG
Is there a quicker way to work out if we use keˣ or kxeˣ or kx²eˣ for particular integral than using trial and error?


You go up in degree of x if present in the complimentary function.
Original post by JME_CHG
Yeah exactly! Thought it was mad easy until that point and idk... Guess I got bored and lost concentration

Anyway I'm I right in thinking that we should treat polar like Cartesian?

So for example in Cartesian you have 2 eqns in form of x and y, then can solve for either to get points of intersection...

Is this same for Polar? So it can be either in r or θ instead of x and y's?

In that 2015 I got a cubic in sinθ rather than r's but I didn't think it was correct so didn't even attempt to solve it


Yep effectively it was polar coordinate geometry so starting by converting the (obvious) Cartesian equation of the line AB into polar form and the rest follows.

Ah the cubic equation looked daunting (I was about to make an equation in θ\theta but I realised what we want is the value of r and it's easier to work in r) but two things:
-if you had an equation solving calculator it was fine, since it would remind you that 3/2 was a root
-you already knew that 3/2 must be a root.

If the cubic was in trig functions same goes.

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