Tips for Maths assignments
FLUMMOXED by figures? Check out these handy maths homework tips.
Read the question
If you just cast an eye over the question, you may think you know what sort of problem it is, but you may be wrong. So, read it carefully. You can even correct any grammar errors in red ink for additional clarity.
Understand your calculator
These tools can be so complex that you may hit the wrong button and instead of looking up a square root, you may be looking up a cosine or inverse tangent. You might also enter information in the wrong order. Test yourself with questions you know the correct answers to so that you get the technique down.
Draw a diagram
Whenever you can, draw a picture and label it with the information in the question. This will help you visualise the problem and understand what you need to do.
Ignore irrelevancies
Some maths questions are straightforward but others contain additional information. Sometimes this is designed to confuse you. Sometimes it’s there to see if you can distinguish between two similar operations.
Use your head
Don’t do the work and leave the answer at the bottom without questioning it. If you get an answer that’s totally illogical, like a right-angled triangle with a hypotenuse that’s smaller than the other two sides, you’ve made a mistake. Go back and see where you messed up.
Start over
If you know you’re going wrong, it may be simple to take out one step, correct it and end up with the right answer. But if you find you totally messed up from the beginning, it may be easier to just start from scratch. Just draw a line through it and start again.
Don’t panic
If you become so confused that you don’t know how many sides a regular dodecagon has or what the incidence of each internal angle is, take a short break. If you’ve planned your study time properly, you’ll have a day or two of leeway to play with. Do your other assignments and get back to the maths later.