Mod edit: Since this thread has to cater both to students who want a bit of a challenge and to those who are looking for STEP/BMO-style questions which are considerably more difficult than AS maths, we would appreciate it if you indicated when a question is much harder than anything in AS maths or in a different style. Please make sure that nothing on this thread requires knowledge of post-AS maths notation or concepts. Thank you for your co-operation
Hi everyone!
As some of you can probably remember this, a while ago, during last year, a GCSE thread was made which consisted purely of extremely hard GCSE questions, and some even stretched beyond the current new GCSE maths Spec, and majority of them were grade 9 or even higher questions to test the limits of students.
I personally found that extremely useful, since the resources for the GCSE maths was extremely lacking and there was barely any past papers, since the first years did it previous summer.
Therefore, considering that we are now doing the new AS maths spec as well, I thought it would be extremely useful to make another thread which will be same as the GCSE one, but instead it has questions for the new AS maths.
Note; The previous thread made for GCSE maths had questions so hard that even students who got grade 9, could not fully complete, so do not be put off, if you cannot do some of the questions, and you can still achieve an A* at the end of year 13.
The main point of this thread is to get students helping students and in order to continue the thread like the previous one, it'll be extremely useful for students to post their own questions too.
It would also be advised that students stay inside the specification as much as possible, and not stretch too far apart, that even the high grade students cannot answer.
If you have answered a question, and know the answer and would like to post it, please put the answers in the spoilers, as it allows the other members to answer it too.
Here's a link of all the specifications for the exam boards. Students do different options, and I think it'll be useful to put the exam board's link, so they can navigate from there themselves:
Since students have not fully completed the specifications, unless you're like me, who has completed the spec, please refrain from posting questions too far ahead, and stay in the first half of the spec for now. If you want to post questions far ahead, do so, but please do not expect quick replies.
If you're not in year 12, and are in the year 13, you're more than ready to post questions just for guidance and help. It's appreciated and i'll see to it myself (most likely a rep! :P)
Tag list: (Tell me in the future if you do not wish to be tagged!
I'll do the pleasure of posting the first question, which is to do with Polynomial divisions and students should be able to answer with applying knowledge from their first few months:
The polynomial has the function:
f(x)=x3+kx2−7x−15
Where k is a constant.
When f(x) is divided by (x+1)the remainder is r.
When f(x) is divided by (x−3)the remainder is 3r.
A. find the value of k
B. Find the value of r
C. Show that (x−5)is a factor of the function f(x).
D. Show that there is only one real solution to the equation f(x) = 0.
Please provide your answers in spoilers. If you have any questions, ask me!
whilst i can do many of these questions comfortably now, even after getting a grade 9, then and still even now, some of these questions look plain foreign to me
Sounds great! The new edexcel books have some (by no means all) interesting challenge questions ending each exercise and I've had a few ideas from them for other questions - I'll try and post them soon.
This is from a past MAT paper but completely accessible to AS candidates–I have a few STEP/MAT questions that I’ve been given for specific AS topics which I will post later on perhaps!
A circle C has area 17π with its centre at the point (6,5). It is given that the line ℓ:y=mx+12 is tangent to the circle at the point A such that m is an integer. Furthermore, ℓ is tangent to a quadratic Q:y=x2+bx+c at A.
(i) Determine the points of intersection A,B,C between C and Q
(ii) Show that B and C are diametrically opposite on C
(iii) Hence, determine the ratio into which the triangle ABC splits the area of C
@RickHendricks here's my proposed solution to your problem, in spoilers, as you requested. idk how much of the solution i am allowed to give but i'll just do it all in spoilers, please point out if i make an error, i tend to do that with simpler questions
Using the binomial theorem, prove from first principles that dxd(xn)=nxn−1 for n∈Z0+. Justify why this method cannot be used to prove the derivative for all n∈R.
This is from a past MAT paper but completely accessible to AS candidates–I have a few STEP/MAT questions that I’ve been given for specific AS topics which I will post later on perhaps!
Spoiler
this is a MAT (ish) question?! wow, perhaps hope is not entirely lost for me