B28 Maths Tutor

A shame that changing your mood isn't as simple as using a modulus sign!

New blog post for Higher GCSE/IGCSE and A-level students on graph transformations.

Graph transformations for GCSE and A-level Maths | B28 Maths Tutor An introduction to graph transformations for Higher GCSE, Edexcel Higher IGCSE and A-level Maths - translations, stretches and reflections.

Change of plan for this year's GCSEs: it looks as if a formulae sheet (presumably the same as for the past two years) WILL be provided.

GCSE students in England to get Covid support Formulae and equation sheets will be provided in maths, physics and combined science GCSEs exams.

A creepy Hallowe'en story for A-level students (or anyone who knows what it means to differentiate a function).

The Differentiation: A Survivor’s Tale The constant functions perished first.

The UCAS service has expanded to include apprenticeships.

This is very good news. If I were aiming for a career where apprenticeships were available then I'd probably choose that over the traditional uni route these days.

It means you get paid throughout your training, and are likely to be sponsored through a degree course and have a job already lined up for the end of it, rather than racking up a huge student debt and then having to search for a suitable job once you complete your degree.

UCAS launches new apprenticeships service as demand hits all-time high Hundreds of thousands of students interested in becoming an apprentice can explore all their options in one place through UCAS' new apprenticeships service, launching today (18 October).

New blog post just published: Hypothesis testing for Binomial (A-level Maths)

Hypothesis testing for Binomial (A-level Maths) | B28 Maths Tutor An introduction to hypothesis testing, and how to use it to ascertain whether the probability of success in a Binomial Distribution has changed.

This is why you shouldn't rely on AI to answer your Maths homework questions. Just because it LOOKS like a direct proportion problem, doesn't necessarily mean it is one!

Ever wondered why we use the symbol π when finding the circumference (or the area) of a circle?

New blog post just published: Directed numbers (positive and negative numbers)

Directed numbers (positive and negative numbers) | B28 Maths Tutor A lot of people find directed numbers (positive and negative numbers) confusing. I hope this article will help you to understand them!

NEW COURSE JUST PUBLISHED:
Getting the most out of your Casio scientific calculator.

Shows you lots of clever things that your fx-83/85 GT Plus, X or CW, or your fx-991 EX or CW, can do, but that your teacher might not show you (or even know about!).

If you've bought one of the new CW models then this will really help you to get to grips with it.

Normal price for the course will be £10 but I'm doing a special introductory price of just £6 for a limited period.

Click on the Curriculum tab to see what the course covers, and to watch the introduction lesson (accessible without enrolment).

Getting the most out of your Casio scientific calculator - Maths courses from B28 Maths Tutor If you're at school or college in the UK then the chances are that your school recommends you buy a Casio scientific calculator. This course is to help you

Toilet Trigonometry

Is your school telling you that the calculator you need to buy for your child is the Casio Classwiz fx-83 or 85 GTX?

If so then they probably aren't yet aware that this model was discontinued early in 2023 and replaced by the fx-83/85 GT CW, which despite being described by Casio as the "new version" of the GTX, is actually very different.

As a result, it's now very difficult to get the GTX new for anything like a reasonable price; you shouldn't have to pay more than about £16 - and CERTAINLY not more than £20 - for a GCSE calculator.

If your school is still telling you to get the GTX then you might like to point them in the direction of my blog post at https://b28mathstutor.co.uk/the-new-casio-classwiz-cw-calculators/

If you're doing A-level or Core Maths then the same comments apply to the replacement of the fx-991EX with the fx-991CW - with the added warning that there are a lot of fake 991EXs (which don't work properly) around so you need to be sure you're getting a genuine one; there are YouTube videos that tell you how to check this.

Left to right in image: old and new GCSE models, old and new A-level models. The GCSE models are available in several colours.

Having said all that, if you've read the blog post then you'll know that I - like many people - much prefer the older models, so you might want to see if you can find one second-hand on eBay or Marketplace for a reasonable price (maybe £10 or so for the GTX, or up to about £20 for the 991EX).

Prime numbers have two factors. If you divide a prime number by anything other than 1 or itself the result will not be a whole number.

Did you know that apart from 2 and 3 every prime number is either one more or one less than a multiple of 6?

If you didn't already know this, does the image below help you to understand why?

Free study skills courses from OpenLearn, part of the Open University: https://www.open.edu/openlearn/skills-for-study

Take a look at the rest of the site too - maybe you fancy learning about Babylonian or Egyptian mathematics, or trying one of the numerous other courses on offer. It's all free!

Open Learning Anyone can learn for free on OpenLearn, but signing-up will give you access to your personal learning profile and record of achievements that you earn while you study.

This data shows the relationship between GCSE grade and A-level grade for Maths candidates taking Edexcel exams. It's for exams in 2017 and 2019 respectively, so pre-Covid.

As you'd expect, higher GCSE grades generally map to higher A-level grades, but there's no gurarantee!

Also, bear in mind that the data doesn't include those who started the A-level course but didn't get as far as taking the exam. Many schools/colleges won't let you continue into Year 2 if you haven't been managing in Year 1, since poor exam results reflect badly on them, so the data in these tables only shows the students considered strong enough by their schools to be put in for the exam. In my experience a very high proportion of those starting with anything below a Grade 7 end up dropping out.

For more guidance on whether A-level Maths is the right choice for you, take a look at my blog post at
https://b28mathstutor.co.uk/a-level-maths-or-core-maths-sixth-form-options/
and the free quiz at
https://mathscourses.co.uk/courses/are-you-ready-to-start-a-level/

New blog post

Madness-themed fun carnival game for Maths practice | B28 Maths Tutor A carnival game that's fun to play, useful for fundraising and great for practising a variety of maths skills

Great video, less than 4 minutes long, on the power of failure. Ed Sheeran couldn't sing when he was 14 - the evidence is here - but look at him now!

The video is about music rather than academic study but it's transferable, and might provide some encouragement if your exam results weren't what you hoped for.

Ed Sheeran on the Power of Failure — The Howard Stern Show 0:00 - 0:28 "You could always sing, right?"0:29 - 1:20 Ed Sheeran's 14 year old self1:21 - 2:11 Failure2:12 - 2:55 "You have to be rubbish"2:56 - 3:31 How Ed...

GCSE / IGCSE RESULTS DAY

If you've got the results you wanted/needed then huge congratulations!

If they're not what you hoped for then don't despair, you still have options open to you, and in the long run the resulting change of plan may turn out to be the best thing that could have happened to you!

If your next step involves A-level Maths then try this free quiz to see how ready you are to start the course: https://mathscourses.co.uk/courses/are-you-ready-to-start-a-level/

Interesting article about apprentices in tech industries: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66086450
Thanks to Simon Phipp for sharing.

Do you need a degree to work in tech? Big tech firms like IBM are no longer asking for degrees when hiring staff.

New blog post for A-level Maths students - you'll cover this topic during Year 2.

Working with double angle formulae (A-level Maths) | B28 Maths Tutor Learn how to derive the double angle formulae for A-level Maths, see examples of their uses, and learn about the half-angle formulae.

For those doing GCSE/A-level Stats or A-level Maths.

😂 Time for you to take a short break- here is a joke for all those learning statistics, hoping it to bring some laughs for you all!
Shared by:

I've just put this game together for my theatre society's stall at Shirley Carnival tomorrow. Thought it would make a good game for a primary school fete too - and working out the probability of a win would be a nice challenge for anyone doing Stats at GCSE or A-level, or A-level Maths. Feel free to have a go and post your answer here!

I'll post my own answer in a few days.

[Hint: it's between 15% and 20% - assuming that all shots are random and every cell has an equal chance of being landed in.]

Just finished your GCSEs and planning to start A-level Maths in September? Read this blog post to find out how you can hit the ground running!

How to make a flying start to A-level Maths | B28 Maths Tutor Starting sixth form this year? Want to know how to make a flying start to A-level Maths? Here's some guidance to help you ease your path and make a success of your studies!

New blog post. You might be surprised at how versatile this mode is!

Using Ratio mode on your Classwiz calculator | B28 Maths Tutor Ratio mode is a versatile function that's available on all Casio Classwiz calculator models. Here are some examples of how it can be useful.

This kind of shape is beyond the A-level Maths spec but quite interesting nonetheless.

Did you know to make their uniform design, Pringles uses a special recipe, which doesn't actually include potatoes. Instead, they're made with something called “dehydrated processed potato.” They also contain corn, rice and wheat. 😟😟😟

Newton's First Law - you'll use this in A-level Maths (as well as GCSE Science/Physics).

😂😂😂

For those doing Edexcel GCSE, here (from Mel at Just Maths) are lists of topics that haven't come up on the first two papers. Of course there's no guarantee of them coming up on Paper 3, but the chances are good for most of them!

7th June ... Breakfast Workouts & Paper 3 Hit Lists Hit Lists   The hit lists for Edexcel paper 3 of topics that haven't appeared are now available. I've placed them in the "Exams / Summer 23 / Topic & Hit List" folder and also in the "Best Guess" folder in the Revision/Exam Prep folder for Summer 23 ready for the bumper practice

Predictions of the topics most likely to come up on GCSE Paper 3 (Edexcel and AQA, both Tiers), from 1st Class Maths

1st Class Maths on Twitter “🚨 Key Topics for Paper 3 🚨 https://t.co/PyuVrhRnMI ”

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/may/29/what-if-nobody-is-bad-at-maths?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

What if nobody is bad at maths? When I teach five-year-olds the subject they typically scream with excitement. Here’s how to stop maths-phobia setting in

New blog post:

Direct and inverse proportion for Higher GCSE | B28 Maths Tutor All you need to know about direct and inverse proportion for Higher GCSE Maths. (Includes link to an article covering Foundation material.)

Find out how good your numeracy skills are, with this low-pressure assessment.

Check skills NN Day | National Numeracy Challenge Tap the share icon at the bottom of your screen, scroll down the pop-up menu until you see ‘Add to Home Screen’ and tap ‘Add’

All the predictions for Edexcel GCSE Maths Papers 2 & 3, collated by Adam Creen (Robotmaths on Twitter) - thanks to Gareth MacGillivray for sharing with me.

Best Guess GCSE Shared with Dropbox

Why your weight can vary in different parts of the world

Hudson Bay Is Sitting On Top Of A Gravity Anomaly People weigh less there than they should.

Predicted topics for GCSE Paper 2 from 1st Class Maths
(AQA and Edexcel, both Tiers)

1st Class Maths on Twitter “🚨Key Topics for Paper 2 based on Paper 1 Analysis and previous trends. Edexcel and AQA Student friendly versions coming in a bit. Share away please! 💙 https://t.co/YXalBt6SmH”

I'm performing in this - first time I've done more than a couple of lines as a solo, so it's quite scary! Please come along and support us if you're local and can make it.
Tickets available from http://www.soundlighting.uk/dovehouse/whats-on/ or on the door.

✨ONE DAY TO GO✨

🎟️ GET YOUR TICKETS 🎟️

Join us for an evening of performances from our incredible members who will be bringing the best of Musical Theatre to The Dovehouse Theatre for one night only! 🎭🎶

With favourites from Peter Pan, Catch Me If You Can, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, My Fair Lady, Buddy and Oklahoma - you won't want to miss it!

Get your tickets now from as little as £12.00 🎟🎟

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/solihull/the-dovehouse-theatre-langley-arts-sports-complex/stamps-fundraising-concert/e-zqzpkk?fbclid=IwAR0upy7oo6D5KQDuVed_qxDFctNP8_r1Ctz_N6l6wQPJ8afzecK23ByAYvM

Or Call the Box Office on 0333 666 3366

Good luck to all those starting their exams this week - and to the A-level students who are starting a little later!

Free GCSE Maths practice papers with video solutions, from Maths for Granted
https://mathsforgranted.co.uk/exam-papers