Mathematics

Course summary

The course has three major over-arching themes (mathematical argument, language and proof, mathematical problem solving and mathematical modelling). Three branches of mathematics are studied and assessed: Pure Mathematics, Statistics and Mechanics. • Pure Mathematics: Proof, algebra and functions, coordinate geometry, sequences and series, trigonometry, exponentials and logarithms, differentiation, integration, numerical methods. Statistics: Statistical sampling, data presentation and interpretation, probability, statistical distributions, statistical hypothesis testing. • Mechanics: Vectors, quantities and units in mechanics, kinematics, forces moments and Newton’s laws of motion. If you have selected A Level Mathematics you may also choose to study A Level Further Mathematics. Of course, this doubles your time commitment to Mathematics and so it is essential that you are willing to work hard and, more importantly, that you really do enjoy the subject. As with the A Level Mathematics course we prefer that you have achieved at least a grade 7 at GCSE. Further Mathematics provides the opportunity to study aspects of the pure and applied strands of Mathematics to a greater depth. For example, the Pure Mathematics studied at A Level is extended to cover topics such as complex numbers, matrices, further algebra and functions, further calculus, further vectors, polar coordinates, hyperbolic functions and differential equations.