AS Use of Mathematics

AS Use of Mathematics

The course is designed to enable you to:
Apply mathematics to your studies or interests
Have the ability to communicate, use and interpre mathematics
Solve open ended problems
Develop mathematical modelling and reasoning skills
Use ICT appropriately including graphical calculators, Excel and the Autograph drawin package.
Enjoy mathematics and develop confidence in using mathematics.

Is it for me?
The course suits those who enjoy maths and are looking to develop confidence and further skills in this subject. You should be seeking to communicate, use and interpret maths and apply it to support your studies or interests. You should also enjoy using computer software and calculators to solve problems. Assessment is by portfolio and examination.

What's involved?
Working with Algebraic and Graphical Techniques
In this unit you will demonstrate your use of algebra, functions and graphs to analyse, make sense of and describe real situations and solve problems. You will use graphing and analytical techniques to model your own data with appropriate functions and to investigate functions commonly used to model real situations.
Using and Applying Statistics
In this unit you will develop a critical and questioning approach to the use of statistical measures, diagrams and techniques. You will draw conclusions and summarise findings. You will use statistics to describe and make sense of the world, explore and describe data, use distributions to make sense of data and investigate the ideas of correlation and regression.
Applying Mathematics
This unit will extend your use of mathematics in the areas of algebra, functions and graphs when modelling different situations. You will learn some new mathematics to develop models of situations using simulations and recurrence relations. You will learn to think critically about how you and others use mathematics and develop the ability to comprehend short mathematical texts.

Progression
AS Use of Mathematics supports many other AS/A2 subjects and can form a strong base from which to move on to AS Maths and/or A2 Maths. Please note that this course will not lead directly onto a mathematics degree. It will however be useful to those looking to study/work in areas such as Technology, Science, Economics and Business Studies.