How to do well in SL Maths?

[abelkoontz]

I'm not great at math. i was getting 6's until we started doing calculus and the hard part of trig. My grades got so bad. How do I get better at math? The exam is in a few days and I still want that six, but now i may get a 5. i'm having trouble with understanding the questions and how to begin. When I think its one way its actually completely wrong..I 

[penguins]

hello,

I will answer as if you have more than 4 days, first of all I don't know what is your major problem- is it about not knowing the subject or not knowing how to tackle the question- but anyways I'll recommend you 3 things to do and you can choose either one for your situation. 

1- If you have difficulties about the topic itself there is a guy called Steve Muench who had a very comprehensive notes which were shared on the ibsurvival's website, you can download it to study the chapters that you've a problem

2- Again for practicing the topics there is a youtuber called mathsl1 who has really good reviews too

3- You can look at ibmathresources.com to look at some pastpaper solutions and hpw to do it and again some more revisions of the topic by a great man called Patrick JMT, who you can find on youtube as well.

Wish all this helped you and I learned these from a youtuber, again, called IB like Cole, so you can look at his video which tells you those 3 options that I've mentioned above if you want a more detailed one. (IB Exam Math SL tips May 2017!  - this is the name of the video if you want to have a look at it)

Wish you great luck and I know you will do well ^^

[kw0573]

Online videos are great at fine-tuning specifics of how to solve a problem once you get the equation, but it's trickier to set up the problem. Once you set it up, you just have to be careful in the algebra. I propose to follow these steps whenever you are stuck. 

If a diagram is not given and you need to understand some word problem, the first step is to quickly sketch a diagram. For example it could be the graph of an equation you are working with, or a tree diagram or a Venn diagram for probability.

Second is to write down some formulas from the formula booklet or other relevant formulas you may have to use. For example in trig, maybe you are given an a side and its opposite angle and have to use the sine law (write down the sine law); maybe you are given an angle between 2 sides and have to use cosine law (write down the cosine law). You don't have to know by this point all equations you will need, but take this time to gather your thoughts and note your first impression of the problem. 

The third step is to convert words or quantities into variables. Sometimes some will be provided for you so use those. For example in stats or probability, now is the time to define the distribution / population / stochastic process. Assign variables for quantities in the question (t for time, l for length, T for period of a sine function, θ for angles, x₁ and x₂ for the 2 roots of a quadratic, etc). 

In step four, use what you did in previous three steps to write down the central equation that you are trying to solve or the expression that you are to find. 

In the fifth step, identify what is not unknown about the equation/expression and see if details in the problem can help you find any of these quantities. Look for given information that you have not used as they are generally important. 

Finally, use the techniques laid out by your teacher and YouTubers to solve the question!

In summary 1) Draw a diagram 2) Write down the formulas 3) Plug in variables into formulas to get an equation 4) Simplify the equation to one unknown. 5) Solve

You have asked several math questions on IBS. It should be worth while to revisit the solutions; look at how others approach the questions; see if you can replicate the same problem solving process on your own.