VCE Mathematical Methods Units 1 and 2 – Algebra

Unit 1
This area of study supports students’ work in the ‘Functions and graphs’, ‘Calculus’ and ‘Probability and statistics’ areas of study, and content is to be distributed between Units 1 and 2. In Unit 1 the focus is on the algebra of polynomial functions of low degree and transformations of the plane.

Unit 2
This area of study supports students’ work in the ‘Functions and graphs’, ‘Calculus’ and ‘Probability and statistics’ areas of study. In Unit 2 the focus is on the algebra of some simple transcendental functions and transformations of the plane. This area of study provides an opportunity for the revision, further development and application of content prescribed in Unit 1, as well as the study of additional algebra material introduced in the other areas of study in Unit 2 as follows:
• use of inverse functions and transformations to solve equations using exact or approximate values on a given domain
• index (exponent) laws and logarithm laws, including their application to the solution of simple exponential equations
• numerical approximation of roots of cubic polynomial functions using Newton’s method.