Applied Maths whats it all about?

Table of contents
Introduction: What is Applied Maths? Some commonly asked questions Why study Applied Maths? Do I need to be doing Physics to study Applied Maths? Who shouldnt study Applied Maths? Ho likely is it that I ill get A? Ho long is the course? What is the !ormat o! the paper in the lea"ing cert e#am? What te#tbook do I need? What is the paper like at $rdinary %e"el? Is it possible to study Applied Maths in college? I ant to study Maths in college & should I take Applied Maths no ? 'estimonies (elated )areers Applied Mathematics Syllabus

Introduction *nlike most other sub+ects there is no Applied Maths option !or ,unior )ert so !or you the student it is quite di!!icult to kno +ust hat the sub+ect is like at %ea"ing )ert le"el'he best ay to get a !eel !or hat the sub+ect is to attend an Applied Maths class. e usually hold a series o! classes !or interested students in ,anuary/0ebrauary o! 1th year !or '2 ho are interested in !inding out more about the sub+ect- Here e start o!! looking at some typical $rdinary %e"el questions and then tackle some Higher %e"el questions- Students are generally pleasantly surprised that they are able to do Higher %e"el questions a!ter only one or t o classes o! an introductionHere ho e"er e try to ans er some o! your questions in ad"ance-

It is a !ascinating sub+ect hich deals ith sol"ing real3li!e problems using mathematical models- It o"erlaps ith both the Mathematics course as ell as the Physics course- In particular the ne Pro+ect Maths syllabus is "ery similar in its approach to Applied Maths- 'he emphasis is on using di!!erent mathematical models to sol"e e"eryday problems *nlike any other sub+ect in the %ea"ing )ert 4 ith the possible e#ception o! the ne Pro+ect Maths56 Applied Maths is about problem-solving6 so i! you like a challenge then Applied Maths is !or you'he maths is all based around Physics problems Applied Maths ill instil skills hich ill last a li!etime. ho to analyse a problem6 ho to represent the problem mathematically6 ho to sol"e the maths6 and then ho to interpret your ans er so that it makes sense hen applied to real li!e situations2

Why study Applied Maths? I! you like 4and are good at5 Maths I! you are thinking about studying 7ngineering in college It complements the Maths )ourse and enables students to obtain the bonus points%ooks good on your )8 4see the )areers section5-

See the testimonies at the end o! this booklet !rom other students around the country ho studied Applied MathsDo I need to be good at Maths to study Applied Maths? Many students are put o!! doing the sub+ect because they !eel that they need to be brilliant at maths- 2ou do need to be reasonably good at maths i! you intend taking it at Higher %e"el6 but you certainly don9t need to be an :A9 student- I! you are a com!ortable :;9 student then you should ha"e little di!!icultly lasting the pace'here is a high Maths content in the course so studying Applied Maths ill gi"e you a better understanding o! some parts o! the Honours Maths course & especially 'rigonometry6 )alculus 4Di!!erentiation and Integration5 and 8ectors In studying Applied Maths you ill impro"e on your mathematical skills in areas such as trigonometry6 geometry6 "ectors6 di!!erentiation and integrationWhat does the name Applied Maths actually mean? 'he sub+ect actually has a "ery con!using title & a!ter all you can apply maths to almost any situation'he sub+ect should be called Mathematical3Physics. it9s all about analysing a physics problem and sol"ing it using maths equations2ou may ha"e o!ten heard the phrase <it9s not rocket science=. ell this sub+ect is rocket science- We study 4among many other things5 the !orce required to launch a rocket into orbit and analyse the !orces hich act on it hile it tra"els through the atmosphere 4it9s not as bad as it seems6 honest>5Do I need to be doing Physics to study Applied Maths? It is not necessary to take Physics as a %ea"ing )ert sub+ect in order to do Applied Maths- 'here is an o"erlap6 but it9s not as great as you might think- I! anything6 doing Applied Maths ill help you in Physics much more than the other ay around in that you ill de"elop a deeper understanding o! many o! the concepts hich only get co"ered super!icially in Physics-

I want to do usiness! wouldnt I be "ust wasting my time doing Applied Maths? It mightn9t seem ob"ious but employers in ;usiness and 0inance are al ays looking !or graduates !rom the !ield o! Applied Maths & they already ha"e lots o! employees ho kno about business6 hat they don9t ha"e is enough people ho can o!!er solutions to unusual problemsMany Applied Mathematicians get +obs in the business orld because they ha"e analytical and problem3 sol"ing skills hich can be applied to the money markets and/or the stock3e#change-

It is also 4relati"ely5 straight!or ard to get a business 4or business management5 degree once you ha"e an Science/7ngineering degree i! you so choose- It is not ho e"er straight!or ard to do it the other ay around-

Who shouldnt study Applied Maths? 'his sub+ect doesn9t suit students ho +ust like learning things o!! by heartIn !act the questions are designed to catch out those "ery students and hether that is !air or not is a moot point 3 you are being arned about it no so i! you don9t like it you kno hat to do- 2ou cannot come out o! an Applied Maths e#am and say : e ne"er did that question be!ore & sir you ne"er co"ered it ith us in class9- It is my +ob to :train9 you to tackle problems hich you ha"en9t come across be!oreSo Applied Maths suits people ho like sol"ing pu??les 4 e like to make it sound more impressi"e so e call it :problem sol"ing95- 'his means being able to think !or yoursel!6 and because almost all o! your secondary3school education encourages you to :learn the right ans er o!! by heart9 it can make a lot o! students uncom!ortable- 'he ability to problem3sol"e is ho e"er a "ery important skill and is highly3"alued by many employers- It is one o! the reasons hy you o!ten see politicians and business people on the ne s saying that the country needs more scientists and engineersAs the name suggests6 the course is mathematical in nature6 and you do need to be "ery good at maths to be success!ul at higher le"el- In general you should be a"eraging a :;9 or higher6 and +ust because you got an :A9 in Maths in the ,unior )ert does not necessarily mean that you ill be com!ortable ith the sub+ect6 so pay attention to the problems e ill co"er belo to see i! you can !ollo them'he material itsel! is similar to that hich you ould study in 7ngineering in uni"ersity6 so e"en i! you are not great at maths but ant to be an engineer you should consider taking up the sub+ect- 7"en i! you end up taking the $rdinary %e"el e#am at the end it ill still stand to you at third le"el-

#ow long is the course? 'he course itsel! is !airly short 4see the syllabus at the end5'here are ten topics but only si# questions to do on the e#am itsel! so there is enormous choiceIn !act normally e only co"er about @ topics6 and try to ensure e kno them "ery ell rather than trying to co"er too much- It means that e are normally !inished the course by )hristmas in si#th year6 so there9s a lot o! time !or re"ision !rom then on- 'he )hristmas e#am is itsel! usually a !ull mock paperWhat is the format of the paper in the lea$ing cert e%am? 'ime: AB hours $rdinary %e"el: si# questions to be ans ered out o! nine Higher %e"el: si# questions to be ans ered out o! ten 4about AC minutes per question5We generally aim to co"er @ 4or at most D5 topics 4 here each topic corresponds to a di!!erent question5. it9s more ad"isable to spend your time becoming competent in @ questions rather than spending time on others and this still allo s !or ample choice on the day itsel!'he e#am began in EDFG so there are o"er 1G years o! e#am questions- We ill co"er all of these !or each topic 4many o! them are repetiti"e5 so there should be "ery little on your lea"ing cert paper that you ouldn9t already ha"e seenWhat is the paper li&e at 'rdinary (e$el? Applied Maths at the $rdinary %e"el is probably the easiest sub+ect on the lea"ing cert curriculum- It is "ery short and can easily be co"ered in one year or less- 'he questions "ary "ery little !rom year to year so ith a +ust a little practice it should be easy to nail the AWhat te%tboo& do I need? 'here are a number o! te#tbooks a"ailable !or studying Applied Maths: E- Fundamental Applied Mathematics 4$li"er Murphy5. a ne addition came out in AGEAA- Applied Mathematics Leaving Certificate Foundation Mechanics for Third Level 4He"in )onli!!e5An accompanying set o! solutions is a"ailable !or both o! these te#tbooksI don9t use a te#tbook ho e"er- I ha"e a booklet !or each topic e co"er- 'his has a short introduction to the topic but a!ter that it9s all e#am questions6 arranged in order o! di!!iculty2ou don9t e"en need to buy e#am papers because all e#am questions are included in these notes 4and any ay e#am3papers only go back EG years or so hile e you ill recei"e 1G years orth o! questions5;ecause some students like to ork ahead I also pro"ide a separate booklet containing all the ans ers'hese solutions/marking schemes are all a"ailable !rom -thephysicsteacher-ie #ow li&ely is it that I will get A at #igher (e$el? AFI o! students on a"erage recei"e an A in the %ea"ing )ertI used to think that the sub+ect as "ery di!!icult because the questions that come up on the %ea"ing )ert e#am ere completely di!!erent e"ery year- 'hen I noticed that almost all the questions in the e#am papers in recent years ere +ust "ariations on older questions 4some o! them JG years older>5So no our students co"er all questions back to EDFG & that9s 1G years orth o! questionsIt may +ust be a co3incidence6 but one o! our students recently got the top mark in the country in AGEEAny student ho can get an A Maths should certainly be getting an A in Applied Maths 4but ith much less e!!ort>5
7

Is it possible to study Applied Maths in college? 2ou can study Applied Maths itsel! at third le"el- It is kno n as :Mathsphysics9 in K*I uni"ersities and as :'heoretical Physics9 in 'rinity )ollegeI want to study Maths in college should I ta&e Applied Maths now? Applied Maths is an in"aluable sub+ect !or those ho plan to study pure maths in uni"ersity- Indeed many o! those ho ha"e studied maths at uni"ersity say that Applied Maths as a more important preparation than Maths itsel!> I want to study )ngineering in college should I ta&e Applied Maths now? I! you are considering studying any kind o! engineering in college6 Applied Maths is "ery important. all engineering students ha"e to study Applied Maths in !irst year in college and you ill ha"e a head start i! you ha"e the %ea"ing )ert course done be!orehand*elated (in&s Irish Applied Maths 'eachers Association: http:// -iamta-ie/ Syllabus: http:// -curriculumonline-ie/uploaded!iles/PD0/lcLapmathsLsy-pd! )areers Portal Slss Scoilnet

*easons you should consider doing applied maths +rom rendan Doheny Many students study Applied Maths !or the bene!it o! their !uture maths results'hese are students ho are chasing the bonus AC points in honours Maths and ho ill !ind maths easier as a result o! studying Applied Maths Apart !rom being a terri!ic sub+ect 4 hich takes ork6 like any other56 about o! J in e"ery EG students ill achie"e an AESome uni"ersities 4like *))5 are accepting a )E in either Maths $( Applied MathsMany students study Applied Maths to impro"e their problem sol"ing skills and so produce better HPA' results to ensure they get into medicine'he single greatest obstacle !or engineering students is passing Applied Maths in college 3 not a problem !or those ho studied it in school-

'he te#t in Italics is taken !rom quotes gi"en to The Irish Applied Maths Teachers Association (iamta.ie Applied maths has a reputation to be compared to Shrek> 'o those that don9t kno the beast it seems like a big ugly ogre6 but really it is quite a lean courseAs fe! schools offer Applied Maths as a scheduled class" most that ta#e it on do so outside of school hours. This can be stressful and tiring at first but the end result is !orth an$ hardships suffered. 'here are EG questions on the paper and the candidate has only to ans er si# questionsK$ other paper o!!ers this much choice%etting the actual correct ans!er onl$ gives $ou a small amount of the mar#s. In total the recall ork is minimal possibly JG !ormulae in total and the o"erlap bet een the courses less than hal! are unique to Applied Maths Syllabus Applied Maths !as m$ favourite sub&ect at school. It !as a course completel$ unli#e an$ other. Lateral and logical thin#ing are needed for it and solving problems is something I have al!a$s been interested in. The sub&ect doesnt involve enormous amounts of theor$ that $ou have to learn off b$ heart" li#e in biolog$" but &ust encourages $ou to thin# and appl$ principles. Is there any sub+ect that you struggle ith6 any language that you ill only manage to do ordinary le"el in? 'hen Applied Maths can help you make your points higher> Although no points in the Leaving Cert ever come eas$" the Applied Maths e'aminers love to give a!a$ mar#s for !riting do!n basic information and appl$ing simple rules. Applied Maths ma$ seem li#e a tough sub&ect at first" but given a little time and a good bit of practice it becomes a tremendousl$ satisf$ing and re!arding sub&ect.

0or those that like to e#perience the success o! sol"ing problems6 applied maths is more satis!ying than sudoku- I! you ha"e al ays been the student that en+oyed sol"ing the problem maths that ere in the primary books6 then Applied Maths is !or youI soon discovered that Applied Maths is a hugel$ under-rated sub&ect !ith a lot of benefits. Firstl$" for those people !ho" li#e me" have la($ tendencies" and can thin# of better !a$s to spend an afternoon than memorising dates until $ou cant even remember !hat $ear it is an$ more" Applied Maths is the ideal sub&ect. There is almost no theor$ and ver$ little !riting involved" !hich is something I greatl$ appreciated !hen tr$ing to !rite poetr$ essa$s ever$ !ee#end. I! you are doing Higher %e"el Maths6 this course compliments it> 'he Points may be the same but the amount o! equations6 topics6 theorems and methods to recall is less- Plenty o! practice in trig identities and geometry6 the "ectors question is a doosyApplied Maths allo!s the student to solve real life problems through logical reasoning and creative thought" and in m$ opinion that is something that no other Leaving Cert sub&ect offers. As a student it seems daunting to ta#e on another sub&ect !hen school is alread$ difficult and hectic as it is. )o!ever" Applied Maths added ver$ little to m$ !or# load. *ub&ects such as Maths and +h$sics overlap !ith Applied Maths in man$ areas such as integration" vectors and mechanics. I! you are doing Physics then this ill sort out about 1GI o! the entire physics paper !or you> I! you are doing both ----Applied Maths also made life easier on a number of levels. ,hole sections of Maths seemed easier having covered them the $ear before. -uadratic e.uations" integration and trigonometr$ benefited purel$ because !e !ere using them so often. The mechanics section of ph$sics posed little difficult$ for man$ of us as !e #ne! our /0A*T inside and out and in other !a$s Applied Maths al!a$s encouraged $ou to loo# outside the bo' for an easier !a$ of doing things 1 !hich is invaluable !hatever $oure doing. Although it needed attention" !ith a little effort its definitel$ a manageable course !ith relativel$ little learning off. In short its a gift to an$one mathematicall$ inclined !ho en&o$s a challenge It ill help you i! you ant to pursue a career in 7ngineering6 Architecture or any other technical sub+ectI am currentl$ stud$ing 2ngineering in /.C.3. one of the core modules of the course is Mechanics" !hich is little more than Leaving Certificate Applied Maths Applied Maths has ad"antages hich I really came to appreciate in those last !e days and eeks be!ore the e#am6 'here as "ery little theory to be learned It as a predictable sub+ect ith lots o! choiceAnd most importantly I had t o days o!! a!ter ha"ing !inished all my other e#ams in hich to try and learn e"erything-

10

*elated ,areers Who ould ant to employ somebody ho has studied Applied Maths? In short6 anybody ho ould like an employee ho can sol"e problems6 so basically e"erybodyApplied Maths is like )ngineering for beginnersAlso Architects must kno some applied mathsDegree courses in the uilding industry contain applied maths modulesStudying Applied Maths enables students achie"e employment and career prospects at the top end o! the market in "ery di"erse areas'he !ollo ing represent +ust some o! the areas hich students in up in a!ter studying Applied Maths Actuary Airlines---designing e!!icient rosters Anthropologist---dating !ossils Architecture Astronomy ;usiness )hemistry )omputer Programming---animated !ilms6 computer games )urrency 7#change companies Designer---computer aided design6 nano3technology 7conomics 7ducation 7ngineering en"ironmental studies 0orensics Menetics---dna codes Hard are design---iphones6 speakers etc In!ormation 'echnology In"estment banking Maths Medicine Metereology Pharmaceuticals Physics Planning tra!!ic !lo systems !or big cities Political studies (obotics Science Statistician in the )entral Statistics $!!ice or in a casino 'he army ballistics di"ision

11

APP(I)D MAT#)MATI,- -yllabus 'rdinary and #igher (e$el ,ourses Hno ledge o! the rele"ant parts o! the Mathematics course is assumedK-;- 'hose parts o! the syllabus hich are printed in italics belong to the Higher %e"el course only'he Higher %e"el course includes the $rdinary %e"el course treated in greater depthE- Motion o! a particle- Displacement6 "elocity as "ectors- Applications o! the "ector addition la Description o! "ectors in terms o! unit perpendicular "ectors- 7lementary treatment o! relati"e motionA- Ke ton9s la s- Mass6 momentum- Acceleration and !orce as "ectors- *nits and dimensionsJ- Motion in a straight line under uni!orm acceleration e-g- motion under gra"ity6 motion on smooth and rough inclined planes- Work6 potential energy6 kinetic energy6 po er- Application o! energy conser"ation- Motion o! connected particles1- 7quilibrium o! a particle under concurrent !orces6 including !rictionC- )entre o! gra"ity o! simple bodies and systems o! particles Moments and couples- 7quilibrium o! a rigid body or bodies. N- %iquid pressure- 'hrust on a hori?ontal sur!ace- Archimede9s PrincipleF- Pro+ectiles- +ro&ectiles on inclined plane. @- Angular "elocity- *ni!orm motion in a circle ithout gra"itational !orces- )onical pendulum- )ircular orbitsD- )onser"ation o! momentum- )ollisions- Direct collisions6 elastic 4G O e P E5 and inelastic 4e Q o54bli.ue collisions of smooth elastic spheres in t!o dimensions. EG- *imple harmonic motion of a particle in a straight line. (Application of simple harmonic motion to include the simple pendulum-5 55. Motion of a rigid bod$ about a fi'ed a'is6 a. Calculation of moments of inertia for a rod" rectangular lamina" circular lamina and compound bodies formed of those. (*phere is e'cluded . Application of parallel and perpendicular a'es theorems" !ith proofs done as class!or#. Idea of radius of g$ration. Application of the conservation of energ$ principle to a rotating bod$. b- 4b5 Application of the principle of angular momentum6 rate of change of angular momentum about a fi'ed a'is e.uals the total e'ternal moment about that a'is. Compound pendulum. *imple applications. 57. 4rdinar$ differential e.uations and applications6 (a first order" variables separable8 (b *econd order reducing to t$pe

12

In conclusion Applied Maths is not an easy sub+ect6 but it is a onder!ully re arding sub+ect to take on i! you are good at maths and en+oy challenging yoursel!- It is interesting6 challenging6 educational6 and it is good !or careers-

13