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Is IB Math SL a subset of Math HL or are they exclusive?


ansuman

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I gather from ibo.org that Math Studies SL, Math SL and Math HL are available. I am doing my Master of Computer Applications and need to purchase some High School math textbooks from an international book fair in India. I wish to read western authors. My question is, is Math SL a subset of Math HL, i.e. if I am going to buy Math HL books do I also need Math SL assuming I've read neither or equivalent? Also what's Further Math, I didn't find it in some ibo documents? And can you suggest some widely available authors of Math IB SL/HL - great books that don't have typos? Long lists are welcome

Thanks and regards,

Stranger Crimson

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Hi,

First of all, Further Mathematics SL is a separate Mathematics subject that is studied usually in addition to Mathematics HL. It consists of all the extension topics of Mathematics HL. In other words, in Further Mathematics SL, you do all extension topics available in the Mathematics HL syllabus instead of doing just one.

As for Mathematics SL being a subset of Mathematics HL, I am unable to answer 100% certainly, but I believe it is, as some schools teach the SL Core material together with HL and SL students and then have HL lessons separately. The main difference between the two subjects is that questions in Mathematics HL are significantly more difficult than in Mathematics SL. Furthermore, Mathematics HL contains formal proof of mathematical theories, whereas Mathematics SL only requires informal proof.

If you want a Math HL/SL book that does not have typos, don't get the IBID book - it's full of them. Instead, I recommend "Mathematics Standard Level for the IB Diploma" (Oxford University Press) by Robert Smedley et al. This is a book designed specifically for the SL course. The book is also published in another form (older edition) by the name "Introducing Pure Mathematics".

For the HL course, our school uses "Further Pure Mathematics" (Oxford) by Mark and Brian Gaulter. However, I am unable to assess its usefulness as I do not study Mathematics HL.

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  • 2 weeks later...

My school's HL class is extremely small, so when talking to the sophomores the department chair encourages them to take HL because "you will learn everything in SL and more so it's easy to drop down if necessary, thus you should try". I think that's an indication that SL studies a subset of HL material.

We use the Haese and Harris books. They're pretty good and they have SL/HL versions. We have some supplementary textbooks, but I do not think those are specifically geared towards the IB (they just have topics that are on the IB syllabus).

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My school has a large class of IB students (about 105 candidates for May 2009), and when it came to selecting an IB Math, we were presented with three options IB Math HL, IB Math SL, and IB Math Studies.

IB Math HL was only available for students who had already completed Algebra I & II, Geometry, and at least Pre-Calculus. These students are taking AP Calculus and AP Statistics this year and will take IB Math HL next year.

IB Math SL and Math Studies were options for all of the IB students.

The IB Math SL students are currently taking IB Math SL (they are also testing in May 2008 because much of the IB Math SL curriculum is covered during the first year). Next year, they will take AP Calculus AB (essentially calculus 1) or AP Statistics depending on their personal level of achievement and expectations for their senior year.

The students who to test in Math Studies are currently taking AP Statistics and then they will take IB Math Studies next year and test in May of 2009.

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We also use the Haese and Harris Text books for IB Math SL, IB Math HL, and IB Math Studies.

My IB Math SL class also uses the "Mathematics for the international students Mathematics SL" Exam Preperation and Practice Guide as a workbook in class. This book is particularly useful because the answer key in the back contains the worked solutions so students can see where they went wrong.

My IB Math SL instructor really enjoys the IB Math SL textbook, and we have found it very useful because of its detailed examples.

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I gather from ibo.org that Math Studies SL, Math SL and Math HL are available. I am doing my Master of Computer Applications and need to purchase some High School math textbooks from an international book fair in India. I wish to read western authors. My question is, is Math SL a subset of Math HL, i.e. if I am going to buy Math HL books do I also need Math SL assuming I've read neither or equivalent? Also what's Further Math, I didn't find it in some ibo documents? And can you suggest some widely available authors of Math IB SL/HL - great books that don't have typos? Long lists are welcome

Thanks and regards,

Stranger Crimson

Get the IB Math Methods Book, simply the best book money can buy, it was basically written for the IB curriculum with all of the correct "international" math terminology (Whatever happened to math being a universal language?)

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So the Haese and Harris IB Math books have been most highly rated by most users followed by the ones from Oxford. A word to Chuck10112 about the IB Math Methods book. Do you mean the one from IBID written by Fabio Cirrito? Didn't deissi comment that the IBID books are full of typos, or do you mean the Haese and Harris book?

-Ansuman (a.k.a. Stranger Crimson)

Edited by ansuman
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Didn't deissi comment that the IBID books :)are full of typos, or do you mean the Haese and Harris book?

-Ansuman (a.k.a. Stranger Crimson)

I have not come across any typos in this book with the exception of one or two incorrect answers from the back of the book. (Even when the answers in the back were incorrect, the answers in the Haese and Harris Worked Solutions guide were correct.) It is a great resource and once again I highly recommend it.

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