Stage 1 General Mathematics

Stage 1 General Mathematics - Length | Full year 20 credits

General Mathematics is a 10 Credit Subject or a 20 Credit Subject at Stage 1 and a 20 Credit Subject at Stage 2.

General Mathematics extends students’ mathematical skills in ways that apply to practical problem solving. A problems- based approach is integral to the development of mathematical models and the associated key ideas in the topics.

These topics cover a diverse range of applications of mathematics, including personal financial management, measurement and trigonometry, the statistical investigation process, modelling using linear and non-linear functions and discrete modelling using networks and matrices.

Successful completion of this subject at Stage 2 prepares students for entry to tertiary courses requiring a non- specialised background in mathematics.

Learning Requirements
The learning requirements describe the essential elements of Stage 1 General Mathematics. They summarise the knowledge, skills and understandings that students are expected to develop and demonstrate through learning in the subject.

In the subject, students are expected to:

• • Understand mathematical concepts, demonstrate mathematical skills and apply mathematical techniques

  • Investigate and analyse mathematical information in a variety of contexts

  • Recognise and apply the mathematical techniques needed when analysing and finding a solution to a problem, including the forming and testing of conjectures

  • Interpret results, draw conclusions and reflect on the reasonableness of solutions in context

  • Make discerning use of electronic technology

  • Communicate mathematically and present mathematical information in a variety of ways.

Content
Students extend their mathematical skills in ways that apply to practical problem solving and mathematical modelling in everyday contexts. A problems-based approach is integral to the development of mathematical skills and the associated key ideas in this subject.

Areas studied cover a range of applications of mathematics including, personal financial management, measurement and trigonometry, the statistical investigation process, modelling using linear functions and discrete modelling using networks and matrices. In this subject there is an emphasis on consolidating students’ computational and algebraic skills and expanding their ability to reason and analyse mathematically.

Topics

Topic 1: Investing and Borrowing

1.1 Investing for Interest

1.2 Investing in Shares

1.3 Return on Investment

1.4 Costs of Borrowing

Topic 2: Measurement

2.1 Application of measuring devices and units of measurements

2.2 Perimeter and area of plane shapes

2.3 Volume and surface area of solids

2.4 Scale and rates

Topic 3: Statistical Investigation

3.1 The statistical investigation process

3.2 Sampling and collecting data

3.3 Classifying and organising data

3.4 The shape, location and spread of distributions of numerical data

3.5 Forming and supporting conjectures across two or more groups

Topic 4: Applications of Trigonometry

4.1 Similarity

4.2 Right triangle geometry

4.3 Area of triangles

4.4 Solving problems with non-right triangles

Topic 5: Linear Functions and their Graphs

5.1 Linear functions and graphs

5.2 Exponential functions and graphs

Topic 6: Matrices and Networks

6.1 Matrix arithmetic and costing applications

6.2 Networks

Topic 7: Open Topic

Assessment

Per Semester:

3 Skills and Applications Tasks (65%)

1 Mathematical Investigation (35%)