A question about questions.

RickyOswaldIOW · 2006-05-16 07:25:15

I am currently studying a-level maths and have a few folders and books to learn from as well as a tutor. Once I have learnt a module I like to revise it often but I am finding now that I simply remember the answer to all the questions I have done previously and am not exercising the skill of actually working the answers out. Do you know of any resources with many many different questions or maybe some computer program that can generate questions on a given module?

John E. Franklin · 2006-05-16 08:07:38

Found this but don't know how good it is:
http://www.coursework.info/65/index.html

RickyOswaldIOW · 2006-05-16 08:53:01

Well it's definately some new questions

I'm going to write some apps that will generate questions of choise, would mathsisfun be interested in having these apps?

MathsIsFun · 2006-05-16 09:56:39

Yes, indeed - such a thing would help people enormously.

More details?

RickyOswaldIOW · 2006-05-17 11:57:25

I've made a couple of console based apps in C but they are quite limited so far (and the code is very very messy!). Once I can factorise properly in my head I'll start work on one that can produce quadratic and cubic polynomials.

I'm a bit stuck at the moment on the following for now:
factorise 3(x-2)^2 + x - 6
(3x - 6)^2 + x - 6
(3x - 6)(3x - 6) + x - 6
9x^2 - 36x + 36 + x - 6
9x^2 - 35x + 30

I've tried trial and error to put
-1, -30
-2, -15
-3, -10
-5, -6

into both
(3x )(3x )
(9x )(x )

But cannot for the life of me work it out!

RickyOswaldIOW · 2006-05-17 12:03:33

Here are some of those old console apps I made the can solve some questions, I found them in my archives.
Be Warned! The code is very messy.
http://www.philoswald.f2s.com/maths1.rar
You'll need to run them from a command line rather than double clicking on the executable or you wont get to read the last line.

RickyOswaldIOW · 2006-05-17 12:12:10

3(x-2)^2 + x - 6
3(x-2)(x-2) + x - 6
(3x-6)(x-2) + x - 6
3x^2 - 12x + 12 + x - 6
3x^2 - 11x + 6
(3x - 2)(x - 3)

P.S. My algebra drags.

MathsIsFun · 2006-05-17 22:15:32

Works for me.

I downloaded and had a brief look at your code. It is a start! A lot more to do I think

But the trouble with "C" is that it isn't good for websites. Super-excellent for speed, though. I have done things in C that run 100 times faster than javascript. Seriously! A fraction of a second compared to nearly a minute. A minute is a long time to wait, and you wonder how javascript could be so innefficient.

Anyway, C can be translated to javascript, or actionscript for flash, or even php, reasonably easy, so long as you steer clear of things like pointers and objects. And then hopefully speed is not an issue.

So, when you come up with some code you would like to test on the website, post it here and I will have a go.

krassi_holmz · 2006-05-19 01:14:30

Try writing javascript that generates a list of prime numbers:)
And for the C - isn't there something as CScript, which is close to C?
Anyway, javascript is very close to C.

krassi_holmz · 2006-05-19 01:21:02

Interesting programs Ricky

RickyOswaldIOW · 2006-05-19 02:35:53

Those programs are about a year old now which is when I started learning maths. I'd probably write the apps in visual basic 6 (not .net). It's a very easy language to make GUIs in! I've look through that code and it has some very interesting statements such as

if (n*i)/i = n

What a pointless statement! God knows why it's there :S

P.S. liuv, it is I who added you on MSN!

Last edited by rickyoswaldiow (2006-05-19 02:43:42)

krassi_holmz · 2006-05-19 05:01:54

I think = may mean == because otherwise (n*i)/i must be bool.
(but if n and i are from some class with predefined operator*, operator/ and operator= , it may be something)

krassi_holmz · 2006-05-19 05:09:58

I need a program that tells me if a string is a function with syntax:

<function>::=<name>(<set_of_arguments>);
<name>::=<letter>|<letter><name>;
<letter>::=a|b|c|d|...|z;
<set_of_arguments>::=<argument>|<set_of_arguments><argument>;
<argument>::=<number>|<function>;
<number>::=<digit>|<number><digit>;
<digit>::=0|1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9;

Can someone help me?
(I accept C code)

MathsIsFun · 2006-05-19 11:17:52

So, you give the program a string like "dothis(bill)" and it returns YES, but "dothis=bill" would return NO.

I think a "regular expression" would handle this - regular expressions are included in php, java, and .net

krassi_holmz · 2006-05-20 09:48:53

not, not.
The program must give 5 when written (2-3)*5+10.
I know something about regular expressions, but not much. That's why I prefer, for example some functions:
double number(char* c)
double name(char*c)
ect.

Math Is Fun Forum

#1 2006-05-16 07:25:15

A question about questions.

#2 2006-05-16 08:07:38

Re: A question about questions.

#3 2006-05-16 08:53:01

Re: A question about questions.

#4 2006-05-16 09:56:39

Re: A question about questions.

#5 2006-05-17 11:57:25

Re: A question about questions.

#6 2006-05-17 12:03:33

Re: A question about questions.

#7 2006-05-17 12:12:10

Re: A question about questions.

#8 2006-05-17 22:15:32

Re: A question about questions.

#9 2006-05-19 01:14:30

Re: A question about questions.

#10 2006-05-19 01:21:02

Re: A question about questions.

#11 2006-05-19 02:35:53

Re: A question about questions.

#12 2006-05-19 05:01:54

Re: A question about questions.

#13 2006-05-19 05:09:58

Re: A question about questions.

#14 2006-05-19 11:17:52

Re: A question about questions.

#15 2006-05-20 09:48:53

Re: A question about questions.

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