JHall234 Posted August 13, 2015 Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 Hi, I have started work on my EE in Mathematics, and was wondering if my topic will be acceptable because I have not yet received feedback from my EE supervisor. My research question is: What is a logarithm? How has the discovery and use of logarithms impacted us today?-Many Thanks in Advance! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiona Posted August 13, 2015 Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 (edited) Hi! I, first, have a question to you: "Are you doing Maths HL or Maths SL?" Because, for both of them some examiners deep in their minds will still have different expectations although they have to treat them equally. Regarding your research question, I do not really like its formulation (no offense). So, in your second part of your research question are you trying to look at real life applications of a logarithm or what? If yes, why not just say "What is a logarithm? What practical implications has its discovery and use had?". This is just a suggestion though... However, personally, I think, the topic you chose is acceptable and you can end up with a pretty good EE. Here is the link to various Maths EE topics. It might will useful to look at their formulations: https://extendedessays.wikispaces.com/file/view/Maths+Extended+Essay+Titles.pdf And here is the link to a document with various stuff that you should avoid when writing your EE: http://www.uplifteducation.org/cms/lib01/TX01001293/Centricity/Domain/182/Math%20EE%20Notes.pdf Hope this helps! Edited August 14, 2015 by Fiona 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHall234 Posted August 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 I'm taking maths HL. Will the fact that I am taking HL hurt my paper? And yes I am trying to look at the real life applications of logarithms and connecting those applications back to the original discovery. Thank you so much for taking the time to give me some feedback! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kw0573 Posted August 14, 2015 Report Share Posted August 14, 2015 First, to Fiona:Because, obviously, for both of them the requirements will be different.I am not sure what evidences you have against the examiners marking EEs differently based on the level it was taken. I disagree with you and I am not saying you are wrong. It would be much appreciated by everyone if you or any IB teachers/examiners can provide some explicit citations to support your claims. Thanks Then, to JHall234:I will break the RQ into chunks to help explain my feedbacks.What is a logarithm? Definition of a logarithm is in the HL Math syllabus, first examinations 2014. You should not include it in the research question. You do not need to state what logarithms are in your essay. How has the discovery ... of logarithms impacted us today?I think I know what you mean, but if I read this literally, the discovery does not necessarily have an effect on us. The word "discovery" delves too much into "is math innate or invented" and other ToK stuff you do not want to focus on. It's ok though to touch on ToK if it's relevant to your (new) research question. Try rephrase this part of the RQ to focus on the logarithms as is right now, or how previous knowledge of log impacted people/mathematicians of the corresponding eras. How has the ... use of logarithms impacted us today?I would recommend narrowing down on a specific application of logarithms. Quality over quantity. Too many applications means it is harder to involve as much math. When you look at past papers, you see that the examiners test mainly rigorous use of math rather than justifications and explanations. The same very likely apply to the EE: you need to provide many lines of math to back up your claims of applications. And yes I am trying to look at the real life applications of logarithms and connecting those applications back to the original discovery. mmmkay. Say real life applications in RQ then, instead of "impacted us today". There is a slight difference I cannot articulate.I don't see the value of connecting back to the orginial "discovery" (in the 1600s) rather than logarithms as it is today. You'll need some hardcore references/documentations. It is hard to say the discovery/invention of log makes a significant difference without considering the growth this math topic in the following 400 years. Any supporting details, I am afraid, will be difficult to hold up. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aninda Saha Posted August 14, 2015 Report Share Posted August 14, 2015 Mmm, for an EE? I'm not sure how much I like this idea. It sounds more like a math exploration topic to me. But I do not know what your thought processes are and you could have a really beautiful essay planned out and I do not wish to deter in that case. I will suggest however to plan it out thoroughly if you're going to go with this topic because if you get through the first 2000 words and then you have absolutely nothing to say anymore, it'll really be frustrating. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kw0573 Posted August 15, 2015 Report Share Posted August 15, 2015 I will suggest however to plan it out thoroughly if you're going to go with this topic Seconded if you get through the first 2000 words and then you have absolutely nothing to say anymore, it'll really be frustrating.Hmm Math EE has no minimum word count limit. There was a sample level A paper from 2013 that had only 2400 words. Partly because equations can be immensely descriptive without using up ANY word count. Especially for math, if you have said it clearly enough, no need to intentionally increase the length of the essay. If this were to be changed to an IA topic then the examiners would treat it as work from HL student. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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