Chuck a Yonnie

Yes we have yet another SAC and once again on Calculus and Functions! This means you have done the theory, but what we are testing is your ability to apply the theory. (That is why it is called an “Application” Task! )

Included in your “holiday” to-do tasks is the Practice SAC. Ms Day will have a “holiday” maths class for you to ask questions about the practice SAC. This will run on Tuesday morning at school. Solutions will be posted to the Ning by Ms Day. (The practice SAC were given to you in class but there is also a copy on the Ning.)

The actual SAC will take place on Friday July 17th starting at 1pm (yes at the start of lunch!) and continuing through periods 5 & 6.

The SACs count towards you marks as follows: SAC 1 - 3%, SAC 2 - 3%, SAC 3 - 12%, SAC 4 - 8%, SAC 5 - 8% (totaling 34% of your Maths Methods score)

Not sure if “holiday” and homeWORK should be in the same sentence so I’ll just say that this is something for you to do while you are away from school over the next 2 weeks.

What I WANT to do over the next two weeks, what in fact is a burning desire, is to do NOTHING … well not work anyway. However, I am going to resist that as I know it will decrease my efficiency, my effectiveness and increase my pain in term 3 if I do not take this opportunity to get through some work. The truth is that I can slow down a bit, after all I do not have to come in to school at all. That’s 30 periods of time for you that you can use for other things. I’d be making sure, if I was you, that I used it to make sure I am as up to date as I can be on my return to school on July 13th. You cannot afford to be trying to catch up through term 3. If you are behind, now is your last chance to fix that.

YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE CATCHING UP IN TERM 4 YOU WANT TO BE DOING PRACTICE EXAMS.

So here is the work.

Also make sure you note the next post on SAC 4 (as discussed in class)

As you are aware, there is one more SAC remaining for this semester. A practice SAC has been posted on the Ning for you over a week ago and hard copies are available from Ms Day or myself. While there is no new theory for this SAC (it is an application of the theory for SAC 2), considering 8.2 may be of some value.

As you are well aware, the SAC commences on Friday June 19 and concludes on Wednesday June 24, ie 5 periods. You can bring into this SAC your notes and TI89, but you cannot take anything home with you between SAC sessions.

I have just posted on the Wiki the solutions for the last exercise (6.3) that you will need for the SAC for next Tuesday. Your revision needs to include chapters 4, 5 and 6, almost with the practice SAC and the revision questions from the Ning. You have two SACs on this work so it is VERY worthwhile getting it right now. So we are in a PEAK study time guys!

“Even if you’re on the right track - you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”- Will Rogers

Tomorrow we will be completing the theory for the SAC next week. How is your study going? What are you studying? You should make sure you complete the practice SAC for Friday. Clearly it is not much point completing the SAC the night before the SAC when there is little chance of correcting errors or asking for assistance! You preparation for this SAC should consist of completing all the exercises you have been given, which should largely be done bny now. Also go over this work again by taking a “sampling” of the problems. Any you have issues with spend more time on. This will keep the work you know fresh in your minds and also ensure that you “Plug” any gaps in your understanding. Solutions to Ex 6.3 will be posted by Wednesday night.

On a completely different subject, here is a video clip that I found to be very poignant. What do you think? At the end of the video, ask yourself if you just thought the baby polar bear was cute or whether you really got what was happening? Remember Sarah Jessica and her missing mole?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AozqGxaeB70

I have posted Ex 6.1 solutions to the Wiki. We only have exercise 6.3 to complete in preparation for your next SAC on June 2nd. So I know it is sad, but we are almost over calculus for the moment!

I have posted the solutions to Ex 5.5. Something is FISHY! with Q 4 and I will get back to that in the next couple of days so just ignore that question for the moment.

We have one more Chapter to go before the next SAC so we need to keep moving. Some of you are feeling the pressure at the moment and unfortunately that will keep up until after the exam period. Just keep the pace as best you can. Often though a look at the way you are using your time can help ease some of this pressure. It is amazing how much time can be lost watching that “must see” Dancing with the Stars (or is it Biggest Loser? no matter it is basically the same thing anyway!). Sometimes a lot of time is wasted sitting thinking about how much we would rather be doing other things or the good old procrastination when we suddenly find things that must now take priority like doing the dishes, washing the dog or cutting our toenails … anything to avoid starting for a little longer! Now I know that none of you would ever do such things - that only I would do this - still, I just thought that I might mention this anyway!

Actually, if you want a five minute break (ONLY 5 minutes!) then take a look at my favourite (NOT) 80’s video hits star (cough cough …). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ94vnmvPrw They just don’t make ‘em like that anymore!

As I promised the complete solutions to Ex 5.4 (on Maximum and Minimum) have now been posted to the Wiki. Also the complete solutions to Ex 5.3 (Tangents and Normals) have been posted. Please note that the last question in 5.3 requires you to find the square root of a negative number ( that is fine if this was Specialist maths but for Methods … doh!).

So are you keeping up? Now is a time of increased effort!

The partially completed solutions to these two exercises (5.2 on Curve Sketching and 5.4 on Maximum and Minimum) have now been posted to the Wiki. Full solutions will be posted by Friday when we start Ex 5.3 and 5.5. Now is the time to step up the pace until the end of the term!

I have posted the solutions to Ex 5.1 (on average, instantaneous and related rate of change). Next Tuesday we will be covering the theory to Ex 5.2.

At this point in the year, a Chinese proverb gives us all something to think about: “Teachers open the door. You enter by yourself.”

I have mentioned a number of times about the peaks and troughs of activity throughout Year 12. Now is a time of increased activity and effort as you head towards your second SAC. It will be similar in format to the first SAC, i.e. an exam style test. It will have some questions on past work, but most of it covers Chapters 4 and 5. So now is the time to make sure you have completed as, many questions as possible prior to the SAC, now less than three weeks away.

As one Japanese Proverb says, “Beginning is easy - Continuing is hard.”