§-Maths Extension 1 syllabus
NSW · NESA← Maths Extension 1
Maths Extension 1 syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the NSW Maths Extension 1 syllabus, with a focused answer for each. Click any dot point for a worked explainer, past exam questions and links to related points.
Calculus (ME-C1, C2, C3)
Module overview →How do we model and solve problems involving exponential growth and decay using ?
Model unrestricted growth and decay with and solve the resulting separable differential equation
How do we use the substitution method to evaluate integrals that arise from the reverse chain rule?
Apply integration by substitution to evaluate definite and indefinite integrals, including reverse chain rule cases
Which integrals lead to inverse trigonometric antiderivatives, and how do we recognise them?
Integrate functions whose antiderivative involves , or
How do we differentiate the inverse of a function from the function itself, and what is the gradient of the inverse at a point?
Differentiate an inverse function using (f^-1)'(x) = 1/f'(f^-1(x)) (equivalently dy/dx = 1/(dx/dy)), including the second derivative
What are the derivatives and antiderivatives of the inverse trigonometric functions?
Differentiate inverse trigonometric functions and integrate functions that involve them
How do we describe the motion of a particle in the plane with a position vector, and what do its derivatives tell us about velocity and acceleration?
Describe motion in the plane using a position vector r(t), differentiate to get velocity v(t)=r'(t) and acceleration a(t)=r''(t), and use the dot product to analyse the motion (speed, perpendicular velocities, angle between v and a)
How do we model projectile motion in two dimensions, and what quantities (range, maximum height, time of flight) can we extract?
Model projectile motion in two dimensions using parametric equations and find range, maximum height, time of flight and trajectory equation
How do we link the rate of change of one quantity to the rate of change of another using the chain rule?
Solve related-rates problems by linking two changing quantities via an equation and differentiating with respect to time
How do we solve a first-order differential equation when the variables separate?
Solve separable first-order differential equations of the form by separating variables and integrating both sides
How do we compute the volume of a solid generated by rotating a region around an axis?
Calculate volumes of revolution about the x-axis and y-axis using the disc method
Combinatorics (ME-A1)
Module overview →How do we expand , and what does Pascal's triangle reveal about the coefficients?
State and use the binomial theorem, identify general and specific terms, and relate it to Pascal's triangle
How do we count the number of unordered selections (combinations) of objects from a larger set?
Use the combination formula to count unordered selections, including with restrictions and complementary counting
How do we count the number of ordered arrangements of a set of objects?
Use the multiplication principle and the permutation formula to count ordered arrangements, including restrictions and repeated elements
When can we guarantee that some box contains more than one object, and how do we apply this to counting and existence arguments?
State and apply the pigeonhole principle in counting and existence problems
Functions (ME-F1, ME-F2)
Module overview →How do parametric equations describe a curve, and how do we convert between parametric and Cartesian forms?
Sketch curves given parametrically, eliminate the parameter to obtain Cartesian equations, and use parametric form for circles, parabolas and lines
How do we divide one polynomial by another and use the remainder and factor theorems to find roots?
Apply the division algorithm for polynomials and use the remainder and factor theorems to identify and verify factors and roots
How does the multiplicity of a root affect the graph of a polynomial near that root?
Sketch polynomial functions using leading-term behaviour, intercepts and the multiplicity of each root
How do we solve polynomial and rational inequalities using sign analysis?
Solve polynomial and rational inequalities by factoring and analysing the sign of each factor across critical values
How do the coefficients of a polynomial relate to the sum and product of its roots?
Use the relationships between roots and coefficients (Vieta's formulas) for polynomials of degree two, three and four
Proof (ME-P1)
Module overview →How do we use mathematical induction to prove divisibility statements?
Prove divisibility statements involving an integer parameter using mathematical induction
How do we use induction to prove general statements involving a recursion, a formula or a property?
Apply mathematical induction to prove general statements about a recursive sequence, a property of a formula, or a recursive procedure
How do we use induction to prove an inequality holds for every positive integer?
Prove inequalities involving an integer parameter using mathematical induction
How do we use mathematical induction to prove identities involving sums of a sequence?
Prove identities for sums of series using the principle of mathematical induction
Statistical Analysis (ME-S1)
Module overview →What is a Bernoulli trial, and what are its mean and variance?
Define a Bernoulli random variable, compute its mean and variance, and recognise scenarios that fit the model
What is the binomial distribution, and what are its mean and variance?
Define the binomial distribution , state its probability mass function, and find its mean and variance
How do we calculate probabilities involving the binomial distribution, including ranges and complements?
Compute exact probabilities for the binomial distribution including , , , and use complementary counting
When and how do we use the normal distribution to approximate binomial probabilities?
Use the normal approximation to approximate binomial probabilities for large
How does the sample proportion behave as a random variable, and how do we use its normal approximation?
Use the sample proportion as a random variable, with mean , variance and standard deviation , and apply its normal approximation
Trigonometric Functions (ME-T1, T2, T3)
Module overview →How do we write as a single sinusoid, and what is this used for?
Express in the form or and use this to solve equations and find extreme values
How do we find every solution to a trigonometric equation, not just the principal one?
Write general solutions to trigonometric equations using the period and the symmetries of , and
What are the inverse trigonometric functions, and what are their domains, ranges and graphs?
Define and sketch the inverse trigonometric functions , and , including their domains and ranges
How do we convert between products and sums of trigonometric functions?
Use the product-to-sum and sum-to-product identities to simplify trigonometric expressions and integrals
How do we expand , and , and what are these identities used for?
Use the sum and difference identities for sine, cosine and tangent to expand or simplify trigonometric expressions
How does the t-substitution help simplify and solve trigonometric equations?
Use the t-formula (Weierstrass substitution) to express , and as rational functions of
Vectors (ME-V1)
Module overview →How do we use vectors to prove standard geometric results in the plane?
Use vector methods to prove geometric properties, including parallelism, perpendicularity, midpoint and ratio division
How do we represent a line in the plane using vector equations?
Write parametric vector equations of lines and convert between vector and Cartesian forms
What is the scalar (dot) product of two vectors, and what does it measure?
Compute the scalar product of two vectors in component or geometric form and use it to find the angle between vectors and test orthogonality
How do we add, subtract and scale two-dimensional vectors, and how do we find their magnitudes?
Perform vector arithmetic with vectors in the plane, including component and column-vector notation, and find the magnitude and unit vector
How do we find the projection of one vector onto another, and what does it mean geometrically?
Compute the scalar and vector projection of one vector onto another and interpret it geometrically
Combinatorics (ME-A1)
Module overview →When objects are arranged in a closed ring rather than a line, which arrangements should count as the same, and how does that change the count from n! to (n-1)!?
Count arrangements of n distinct objects around a circle as (n-1)! by treating rotations as identical, extend this to groups and blocks around a circle, alternating patterns and 'not together' restrictions handled by the complement, and recognise that for a necklace or bracelet, where a reflection also coincides, the count is (n-1)!/2
When some of the objects being arranged are identical, why does plain n! overcount, and how do you divide out the repeats to count only the genuinely different arrangements?
Count the distinct arrangements of n objects when some are identical: divide n! by the factorial of each repeat count to get n! over r1! r2! ... rk!, and handle the two-type special case where every object is one of two kinds (2^n arrangements in all, or choose the positions of one kind with a combination)
When the order of a selection does not matter, how do you count the choices, and how do the restriction moves you learned for arrangements carry across to unordered selections?
Count unordered selections (combinations) using ^{n}C_{r} = ^{n}P_{r}/r! = n!/(r!(n-r)!), recognise that an n-element set has 2^n subsets and that the r-element subsets number ^{n}C_{r} with the symmetry ^{n}C_{r} = ^{n}C_{n-r} and row sum 2^n, and apply the at-least, complement, conditional and geometric counting techniques to selection problems
When every outcome is equally likely, how do you turn a probability into a ratio of two counts, and how do the counting moves (multiplication principle, permutations, combinations, complement, cases) supply both the favourable count and the total?
Compute probabilities of equally likely outcomes as P = (favourable outcomes)/(total outcomes) where both counts come from the counting methods (multiplication principle, ^{n}P_{r} and ^{n}C_{r}), and apply the complement, separate-pool multiplication, cases and inclusion-exclusion to find the favourable count for selection, card-hand, digit-string and with/without-replacement problems
What does the factorial n! count, and how do you simplify expressions built from factorials?
Define and evaluate factorials, use the recursive relation n! = n(n-1)!, and simplify factorial expressions and fractions by unrolling and cancelling
When an ordered arrangement carries a restriction, how do you choose between grouping items into a block, counting the complement, and splitting into cases with an overlap correction?
Apply three reusable counting principles to ordered arrangements with restrictions: keep tied items together by grouping them into a block and ordering inside it, count an unwanted condition and subtract it from the total (the complement), and split an 'or' count into non-overlapping cases, subtracting the overlap by inclusion-exclusion when the cases meet
How do you count the number of ordered ways to make a sequence of choices, and how does allowing or forbidding repetition change the count?
Use the multiplication principle to count ordered selections across stages, count ordered selections with repetition as n^r and without repetition as nPr = n!/(n-r)!, and apply restriction techniques: deal with the difficulty first, fix a position, keep items together as a block, and count 'at least one' by the complement
Functions (ME-F1)
Module overview →How do we solve an inequation that contains an absolute value, or that has the unknown in the denominator, without losing or inventing solutions?
Solve absolute value inequations of the form |ax + b| < k, and inequations with the unknown in the denominator, by multiplying through by the square of the denominator
Given the graph of , how do we sketch the graph of its reciprocal without first finding a formula?
Sketch the graph of from the graph of : turn zeroes into vertical asymptotes, send large values to small ones, fix the points where , and flip a maximum to a minimum where keeps its sign
Given the graphs of and , how do we sketch their sum and difference without first finding a formula?
Sketch the graph of by adding or subtracting ordinates: at a zero of one function the sum meets the other, opposite ordinates give a zero, equal ordinates double, and an oblique asymptote can emerge
Given the graph of , how do we sketch and , and why are they two completely different transformations?
Sketch by reflecting the part of below the -axis upward, and sketch by keeping the part right of the -axis and mirroring it across the -axis, recognising that is always even and that the two transformations coincide only in special cases
How do we form the inverse of a relation by swapping and , when is that inverse itself a function, and how do we find and verify a rule for ?
Form the inverse relation by reflecting in the line , use the horizontal line test to decide whether the inverse is a function, find the rule for and verify it by showing , swap the domain and range, and restrict a domain so that a many-to-one function gains an inverse
How does a pair of equations and describe a curve, how do we eliminate the parameter to recover the Cartesian equation, and how do we read off the direction of travel and any excluded points?
Define a curve parametrically by and , eliminate the parameter by algebra or by a Pythagorean identity to obtain the Cartesian equation, parametrise standard curves (lines, parabolas, circles, ellipses and the rectangular hyperbola), and determine the direction of travel (orientation) and any excluded points
Where can a function change sign, and how do we use that to solve inequations and to begin a sketch?
Examine the sign of a function by building a table of test values that dodge around its zeroes and discontinuities, and use the resulting sign pattern to solve inequations and to start a curve sketch
Polynomials (ME-F2)
Module overview →Once the factor theorem links each zero to a factor, what does that force a polynomial to look like: how many zeroes can it have, when is it pinned down by its graph, and how many times can two curves meet?
Develop the structural consequences of the factor theorem: distinct zeroes give distinct linear factors and a degree-n polynomial has at most n zeroes; a polynomial agreeing with another at n + 1 points is identical, so a degree-n graph is fixed by n + 1 points; the number of intersections of two curves is bounded by degree via F(x) = P(x) - Q(x); and re-express a polynomial in powers of (x - a)
When a line meets a curve, what does it mean for the line to be a tangent rather than a secant, and how can the sum and product of the roots of one equation locate the point of contact, the midpoint of a chord, and a common tangent without any calculus?
Apply the factor theorem, multiplicity and the sum and product of roots to the geometry of curves: a line is tangent to a curve exactly when the equation formed by solving them simultaneously has a double root; the x-coordinate of the midpoint of a chord is the average of the roots; and the number and nature of the intersections of two curves are read from the roots of the difference of the two polynomials
How do the leading term and the multiplicity of each zero control the shape of a polynomial graph?
Sketch the graph of a polynomial in factored form using the behaviour of the leading term for large x and the multiplicity of each zero, deciding where the curve crosses, touches or has a horizontal inflection, and locate a zero between integers from a table of values
How does long division split one polynomial by another into a quotient and a remainder, and what does the identity P(x) = D(x)Q(x) + R(x) tell us?
Divide one polynomial by another using long division, expressing the result in the form P(x) = D(x)Q(x) + R(x) where the remainder has degree less than the divisor, handling missing terms, and writing the result in the rational form P/D = Q + R/D
How can the remainder and factor theorems tell us the result of a division, and even fully factor a polynomial, without carrying out the long division?
Use the remainder theorem (the remainder on division by x - a is P(a)) and the factor theorem ((x - a) is a factor if and only if P(a) = 0), test divisors of the constant term to locate integer zeroes, and combine these with division to find unknown coefficients and to fully factor a polynomial
How do the coefficients of a polynomial already know the sum, the product and every symmetric combination of its roots, so that you can answer questions about the roots without ever finding them?
Relate the coefficients of a polynomial to the elementary symmetric functions of its zeroes (with alternating signs) for quadratics, cubics and quartics, and use these relations to find a missing zero, to evaluate symmetric expressions of the zeroes such as the sum of squares and the sum of reciprocals, to find unknown coefficients from a condition on the zeroes, and to handle zeroes in arithmetic or geometric progression or of a special form
What exactly is a polynomial, and how do its degree and coefficients control its behaviour?
Define a polynomial and use the language of degree, leading term, leading coefficient, monic and the zero polynomial, including the degree of sums and products and equating coefficients of identically equal polynomials
