AS/A2 Further Mathematics

AS/A2 Further Mathematics
The course is designed to enable you to

• Develop understanding of mathematics and its processes in a way that promotes confidence and fosters enjoyment
• Develop an understanding of coherence and progression in mathematics and extend your range of skills and techniques
• Develop skills in logical reasoning and recognise incorrect reasoning
• Represent 'real-world' problems in a mathematical model.

Is it for me ? The course is taken alongside AS/A2 Maths and suits those who have enjoyed and excelled at GCSE Mathematics. Students aiming to pursue Higher Education courses in Mathematics, Physics, Engineering or other courses with a high level of mathematical content should seriously consider this course. Assessment is exam based.
What's involved?
Mechanics
This unit uses mathematics to model real world situations. Displacement, velocity and acceleration are studied, including motion under gravity in one and two dimensions. Vectors are used to model forces and Newton's Laws of Motion are studied and allow us to model some interesting static and dynamic problems in mechanics. The concept of momentum is introduced to model such things as snooker balls colliding.
Further Pure Mathematics 1
This unit extends our understanding of number and it introduces complex numbers. Inequalities involving algebraic fractions are studied. Matrices are introduced and their use in describing and manipulating plane transformations is explored. The solutions of trigonometrical equations is extended and logarithms are used to reduce relations to a linear form.
Decision Mathematics
Decision Mathematics is an area that provides practical techniques for solving real-world problems. Critical path analysis involves the representation of compound projects by activity networks and the sequencing of activities to complete projects in the shortest time and use the resources efficiently. Dynamic programming is introduced to find shortest and longest paths through a network and algorithms are developed to find the maximum flow through a network. Ideas in linear programming are extended to the use of the Simplex method and the Simplex tableau and strategies in mathematical game theory are studied.
Further Pure Mathematics 2
You will look at geometry in 3 dimensions primarily by studying algebraic structures called vectors and matrices. You will see that these operate in non-intuitive ways and do not behave like normal numbers. Other Units
The two other units will depend on the requirements of the group and could include Statistics and/or Mechanics.
Progression
A2 Further Mathematics provides a firm foundation for the more academic mathematical courses offered by most universities.