AIBU to ask if anyone can solve this Maths question?

[Hydrangea444]

DD is doing Further Maths A-Level and is stuck on this question.

@EmilyBolton It’s Saturday evening Emily.

Is it from a past paper? You can find the answers online if so.

I used to love calculus. It's been too many years since I've done it, but this thread has made me want to re-learn :)

I always thought I was good at maths and even would go as far to say I enjoyed it.

This thread has made me realise, there's very different types of maths - the one I like, and the type the OPs DD is doing! 🤯

I've a degree in maths, but have completely forgotten calculus.

I've twin toddlers. When they're in secondary school, I plan to take their maths books, and work out every single question. I want to understand the way they learn maths, and be able to help/do the advanced questions (the way I helped my friends in school).

I’ve managed to work through @LovelyJubbly1234 ’s solution to (a) and I love it, especially in the third line when you complete the square to get 1 - u squared from -16xsquared -24x + 8. (sorry, ^2 should be squared,)

Here’s my version of that solution - I had to write out lots of steps to properly understand it.

Thank you for some unexpected entertainment on a Saturday night. It’s a very long time since I did anything like this.

@dootball, this looks like a neat method, but doesn’t that substitution give you arcsin (du/dx) rather than arcsin(u) ? How do you differentiate that?

I think the answer is probably z-pi+72/4(37*xyz)/23+7(43p-28rs)Q

Only joking. Just the mere mention of differentiation and integration sends me quaking in a corner.

It's taken me 20 years to get over those. I'll blame you if I have maths a level nightmares tonight 🤣

I'll ask my retired maths teacher husband in the morning. He's not very well at the moment but might be up for a challenge.

I can just about do ordinary maths, that example would give me nightmares.

I can just about do ordinary maths, that example would give me nightmares.

What I particularly like about this question is that, apart from differentiating arcsin x (where the result is printed on the FM formula sheet), it only needs knowledge from the single Maths A level syllabus.

It’s just hard - in my opinion, especially if you’re doing it under exam conditions.

Or the poster who said 'I'll get DH to explain tomorrow'.

Real conversation in our 'facility' not so long ago.

Man 1 to a group of us, looking puzzled because he's a non specialist on the particular question the rest of us all know more about to varying degrees - does anyone know about X, I've got to give a statement about it to the board.

Man 2 and Man 3 start blustering between them, showing that it's something in their vague memories, but there's a publication that explains everything very well but it's very old and they'd need to track down a copy which only exists on paper.

Me, in a loud voice to the other woman in the group, 'yes Publication Y, the one that you wrote'.

Man 2 and Man 3 continue to bluster about whether publication Y would answer the question about issue X and also reminisced about the antics of the secondary (male) author of the publication, who is now long retired.

To his credit, Man 1 picked up on what was going on and said to the woman who clearly knew more than any of us about issue X, shall we talk about this in the office later and you can advise on the statement for the board, so we know it's technically correct.

Back to the OPs maths question, clearly this is one of those where you need to know what to do with the equation and show your working, so the answer alone, and calculators, won't get you very far.

Bloody hell there are some utter twonks on this thread.

OP was very clearly asking for help/explanation/ideas to bounce off so her daughter could crack on with her revision instead of waiting for her teacher next week. I am sure someone doing A level maths knows to check anything they are unsure of with the teacher.

@eastegg

What has she done before when she hasn’t understood something or has needed help? Surely she doesn’t ask her mum to ask mumsnet?

I don’t know much about maths, but I imagine it’s not going to help her to simply know the answer. She needs guidance on whatever about it she is finding difficult. From maybe er I dunno, a teacher?

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😂😂

Are deliberately being an arse?

Anyone capable of working this out won't just give the answer and fuck off. The OP clearly said her daughter was struggling with the steps so was clearly asking for help on how to work it out, not asking for the answer.

Back to the OPs maths question, clearly this is one of those where you need to know what to do with the equation and show your working, so the answer alone, and calculators, won't get you very far.

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The OP clearly didn't ask for just the answer. She asked for help for her daughter so she can improve her skills.

Thank you for this🙏🙏

I came to the thread early, and tbf OP’s first post didn’t say anything like that.

Yes it's amazing how many said I'll ask my husband and even gave his job title. Not sure I'd feel safe with the one who is a nuclear scientist and went to sleep rather than attempt it. 😂 Hope I don't live near where he works!

No wonder some women aren't taken seriously in their jobs when we seem to still live in the 50s.

I came to the thread early, and tbf OP’s first post didn’t say anything like that.

But it's obvious. The daughter is doing A Level Further Maths. Not a project on Ladybirds in year three.

She knows she needs to method of solving it and she knows that her teacher will be be able to help her. She's clearly a clever person.

It was the Saturday before the A levels begin yesterday. Her maths teacher was not available.

However, here we have a talk forum which is here solely for the purpose of talking. For asking questions and getting opinions.

People ask all sorts on here. How do you unblock a drain? Do you think this dress is OK for a September wedding? How do I appeal a primary school place?

People answer them or they don't answer them. What we don't do is tell people to ask someone else. I've seen people get terrific help in difficult situations.

My daughter won't see her teachers tomorrow or any day as their timetable finished on Friday.

As you can see, the OP has received some help with her daughters maths.

I too opened the thread and picture having forgotten that I have completely blocked out a level maths from my head!

It's good that your DD came to ask you rather than just moving on and forgetting about it. I dread the day my children ask for help.on something that I can't help with at all!

Just to add. I can't believe anyone would click a thread like this to be rude or judgemental! Seriously people, get a grip. "Why can't DD do her own homework", "MN isn't the place", "durr go ask her teacher" etc This is the type of thing MN can be helpful with as you never know who might be reading.

And? Monday is 2 days away. She can do other practice questions in meantime🤦‍♀️

And? Monday is 2 days away. She can do other practice questions in meantime🤦‍♀️

So it's OK for you to start threads asking for help about your dad at a wedding but not for the OP to ask about Maths?

Why did you ask on Mumsnet? Why didn't you ask your family what to do?

Have you a definitive list of approved subjects for the rest of us or would you like everyone to run their questions by you before asking them?

@LovelyJubbly1234 has a better solution, but if she would like to see how to do it without the substitution, here it is.

And those were definitely the right way round when I took them!