Subject overview:
Mathematics is the study of function and pattern in number, logic, space and structure, and of randomness, chance, variability and uncertainty in data and events. It is both a framework for thinking and a means of symbolic communication that is powerful, logical, concise and precise. Mathematics also provides a means by which people can understand and manage human and natural aspects of the world and inter-relationships between these. Essential mathematical activities include: conjecturing, hypothesising and problem posing; estimating, calculating and computing; abstracting, proving, refuting and inferring; applying, investigating, modelling and problem solving.
This study is designed to provide access to worthwhile and challenging mathematical learning in a way which takes into account the interests, needs, dispositions and aspirations of a wide range of students, and introduces them to key aspects of the discipline. It is also designed to promote students’ awareness of the importance of mathematics in everyday life in a technological society, and to develop confidence and the disposition to make effective use of mathematical concepts, processes and skills in practical and theoretical contexts.