[Erie]

I'll be starting 6th year next week (but not properly until August though) and was wondering whether I'm being realistic in thinking it is possible to self-teach Advanced Higher Maths... Opinions welcomed. I have sat Higher Maths this year (S5).

What do you recommend I do to best prepare for it? What materials will I need for it?

Any advice appreciated.

[Marcus]

Erie, on 02 June 2010 - 01:14 PM, said:

I'll be starting 6th year next week (but not properly until August though) and was wondering whether I'm being realistic in thinking it is possible to self-teach Advanced Higher Maths... Opinions welcomed. I have sat Higher Maths this year (S5).

What do you recommend I do to best prepare for it? What materials will I need for it?

Any advice appreciated.

If you are good at maths, very comfortable with calculus (differentiation and integration) and algebraic manipulation, it is certainly possible to self-teach advanced higher maths

As to materials, it depends on what your school will provide...
-you'll probably get scholar notes (from Heriott Watt Uni) or at least have access to the online stuff
-graphic calculator, not essential, though very helpful (I was loaned one by my school)
-Maths in Action textbooks, (probably the same series as the one you used at higher) << warning contains a lot of mistakes (even the occassional impossible question), so don't be too discouraged if you can't the answer at the back
-obviously past papers

I knew a guy that taught himself adv higher, and swore by Stroud's Engineering Maths (I use the advanced version of this for my uni course), covers most of the topics though since it isn't taylored to the course it doesn't cover certain topics like proofs or some parts of number theory
This book for extra questions if you need them


Hope this helps

[Amanda H]

Erie, on 02 June 2010 - 01:14 PM, said:

I'll be starting 6th year next week (but not properly until August though) and was wondering whether I'm being realistic in thinking it is possible to self-teach Advanced Higher Maths... Opinions welcomed. I have sat Higher Maths this year (S5).

What do you recommend I do to best prepare for it? What materials will I need for it?

Any advice appreciated.

I can't say for sure since I don't know you, how good you are at maths or how disciplined you are, and I'm not going to say it would be impossible. However I would say you should be at least achieving an 'A' for higher and be aware that you will have to put the hours in on your own. Advanced higher maths isn't something that can be learned for the first time the night before.

I'm assuming your school has said this is a possible option, if not speak to them as not all schools are keen on this.

If you are going ahead with it you'll need the 3 maths in action books which cover a unit each as well as past papers. I personally didn't find the scholar books of any help at all. My best resource (even better than textbooks) was my teachers whether asking them a question, using notes they had given in class or homework they gave out.

Pick whichever maths teacher you feel you would be most comfortable going to for help and ask them if they would be willing to talk through areas of the course with you during the year if you were to run into difficulty.