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Author Topic: quadratic equations (white flag goes up)  (Read 19905 times)

Woofage

  • Tofu-eating Wokerati
  • Ain't no hooves on my bike.
Re: quadratic equations (white flag goes up)
« Reply #100 on: 16 September, 2009, 12:58:08 pm »
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Pen Pusher

Greenbank

Re: quadratic equations (white flag goes up)
« Reply #101 on: 16 September, 2009, 12:59:39 pm »
Quote from: Woofage on 16 September, 2009, 12:52:59 pm
Yebbut you aren't told that until A-level ;).

You might not have been, but I was told that during GCSEs, but then I was a swot and I had various inspirational maths teachers during my education...
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Valiant

  • aka Sam
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Re: quadratic equations (white flag goes up)
« Reply #102 on: 16 September, 2009, 08:29:04 pm »
This thread makes my brain hurt.

The answer is x.
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rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: quadratic equations (white flag goes up)
« Reply #103 on: 16 September, 2009, 08:57:44 pm »
I burned my maths books (and many others) when I got my "A" level pass.
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Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Marmitegeoff

Re: quadratic equations (white flag goes up)
« Reply #104 on: 16 September, 2009, 09:07:10 pm »
Quote from: Valiant on 16 September, 2009, 08:29:04 pm
This thread makes my brain hurt.

The answer is x.

Wrong all the world knows that the answer is 42 now what is the question?
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David Martin

  • Thats Dr Oi You thankyouverymuch
Re: quadratic equations (white flag goes up)
« Reply #105 on: 16 September, 2009, 09:10:24 pm »
Quote from: Valiant on 16 September, 2009, 08:29:04 pm
This thread makes my brain hurt.

The answer is x.

The skill comes not in knowing that the answer is x but knowing y

Is that the first time I have punned in algebra?

..d
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"By creating we think. By living we learn" - Patrick Geddes

gonzo

Re: quadratic equations (white flag goes up)
« Reply #106 on: 16 September, 2009, 09:12:37 pm »
Quote from: Malcolm Volio on 16 September, 2009, 12:54:44 pm
Quote from: Woofage on 16 September, 2009, 12:52:59 pm

Yebbut you aren't told that until A-level ;).

Indeed

Quote from: Malcolm Volio on 16 September, 2009, 11:58:41 am
If Clarion did that at O-level, he deserved an A

 :)

If GCSEs have been getting gradually easier, surely we can therefore work out how old Clarion is? If the change of ease of GCSEs has been variable, we could solve the data by writing a quadratic equation too!
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border-rider

Re: quadratic equations (white flag goes up)
« Reply #107 on: 16 September, 2009, 09:14:08 pm »
The flaw with that, Gonz, is that I'm a smidge  older than he, and I didn't do that stuff 'til A level...

Different exam Boards...

edit: oh yeah, and we're not talking GCSE  anyway ;D
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clarion

  • Tyke
Re: quadratic equations (white flag goes up)
« Reply #108 on: 16 September, 2009, 09:16:08 pm »
If MV was with JMB, he will have done more 'modern' maths, like sets & matrices, which we only skimmed through, and I really wish we'd done more of... :-\
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border-rider

Re: quadratic equations (white flag goes up)
« Reply #109 on: 16 September, 2009, 09:16:56 pm »
Spot on.  Right Board, right syllabus.  Loads of probability theory too, which has been useful.
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Wowbagger

  • Stout dipper
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: quadratic equations (white flag goes up)
« Reply #110 on: 16 September, 2009, 09:19:47 pm »
I was one of the "guinea pigs" subjected to the Cambridge University's "School Mathematics Project" when I was 11 in 1965. We did modern maths, with sets and matrices etc. With the latter I always had premonitions of men in shades and lots of green numbers flashing before my eyes.

My teacher was a certain Dave "three hundredweight" Hanneman, so-called because it was rumoured that that he could lift this amount above head height.
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clarion

  • Tyke
Re: quadratic equations (white flag goes up)
« Reply #111 on: 16 September, 2009, 09:20:49 pm »
;D We used to say 'SMP' stood for 'Simple Maths Please!' ;)
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Wowbagger

  • Stout dipper
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: quadratic equations (white flag goes up)
« Reply #112 on: 16 September, 2009, 09:22:00 pm »
As a maths duffer I didn't find it simple. I scraped a grade 6 in my O level.
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Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

border-rider

Re: quadratic equations (white flag goes up)
« Reply #113 on: 16 September, 2009, 09:22:48 pm »
Now you say it, we did SMP, not JMB.  It was fun.  Possibly why I found A level so much of a shock :)
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clarion

  • Tyke
Re: quadratic equations (white flag goes up)
« Reply #114 on: 16 September, 2009, 09:25:12 pm »
Ouch!  Yes, SMP to A Level would have been a big step.  SMP was good on concepts but not too good at the mathematical method (AIUI: IANAM*.  My brother was at a different school & did SMP)


* I Am Not A Mathematician ;D
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Woofage

  • Tofu-eating Wokerati
  • Ain't no hooves on my bike.
Re: quadratic equations (white flag goes up)
« Reply #115 on: 16 September, 2009, 10:45:21 pm »
Quote from: Malcolm Volio on 16 September, 2009, 09:14:08 pm
The flaw with that, Gonz, is that I'm a smidge  older than he, and I didn't do that stuff 'til A level...

Different exam Boards...

edit: oh yeah, and we're not talking GCSE  anyway ;D

I think I fall between the 2 of you age-wise and I didn't do that until A-level. I think it was Cambridge exam board for O, AO (remember them?) and A.

I do have a vague memory of SMB but that was probably at middle school.
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perpetual dan

Re: quadratic equations (white flag goes up)
« Reply #116 on: 17 September, 2009, 11:18:48 am »
Quote from: Woofage on 16 September, 2009, 10:45:21 pm
I think I fall between the 2 of you age-wise and I didn't do that until A-level. I think it was Cambridge exam board for O, AO (remember them?) and A.

I just scraped into O levels ... and we got to do maths a year early and then do AO. That seemed much harder, but it might have been that we swapped to a teacher that was much less good. Decent Physics teachers and a friend who went on to be a teacher got me through maths after that. I forget which board they all were - we did enough different boards at different times that we got a load of certificates - so hiding the odd duff result could be quite easy  :)

I still have my maths O level revision book (me, obsessive hoarder? no...), and I had cause to compare the contents page to a new GCSE syllabus earlier this year, which made me do this:  :o
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Frenchie

Re: quadratic equations (white flag goes up)
« Reply #117 on: 17 September, 2009, 03:50:59 pm »
Quote from: Malcolm Volio on 16 September, 2009, 09:16:56 pm
Loads of probability theory too, which has been useful.

Ouch. I am a determinist.

More numerical analysis please...
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border-rider

Re: quadratic equations (white flag goes up)
« Reply #118 on: 17 September, 2009, 05:09:41 pm »
Quote from: Frenchie on 17 September, 2009, 03:50:59 pm

Ouch. I am a determinist.

I'm a physicist.  Probability is the name of the game :)
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Woofage

  • Tofu-eating Wokerati
  • Ain't no hooves on my bike.
Re: quadratic equations (white flag goes up)
« Reply #119 on: 17 September, 2009, 05:30:35 pm »
I'm an Acoustics Engineer. If in doubt I just add 3dB ;D
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Panoramix

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Re: quadratic equations (white flag goes up)
« Reply #120 on: 17 September, 2009, 05:35:16 pm »
I am a Structural Engineer. If in doubt I go up one size.

Always better to make sure that lawyers don't get involve in design.
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