# Mathematics Problem - Algebra.



## BeautifullyDecayed. (Nov 14, 2009)

I am in level 2 [year 12] in New Zealand, you guys might not study this is USA or UK.. or wherever else but I'm hoping you might be able to help.
I am studying for a maths exam I have tomorrow.

I am stuck on questions about the discriminant, i know that this is b^2-4ac but have trouble applying it.
Here is an example of a question..

The roots of the equation x^2 + 6x + c = 0 are k and k − 1 .
Find the value of c.

I know that if the discriminant > 0 the equation has 2 real roots
if it is = 0 is has one real root
and if it is < 0 it has no real roots
also, if it is a perfect square the equation has two rational roots [what are these??]

So in this question it has two roots [k and k-1] so the discriminant must >0
in this case the discriminant would be
6^2 - 4 x 1 x c > 0

for this to be true, does c have to be > 9?

I get stuck from here..


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## pingvincina (Nov 14, 2009)

Have you learned about Viete's formulas?


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## BeautifullyDecayed. (Nov 14, 2009)

Not that I know of..
This is the formula sheet we are given...
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/nqfdocs/ncea-resource/exams/2008/90284-frm-08.pdf


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## pingvincina (Nov 14, 2009)

If c>9 then D(discriminant)<0
If c<9 then D>0


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## BeautifullyDecayed. (Nov 14, 2009)

Oh, right, thanks..
So would that be the answer?
c<9?
Or is it possible to put an exact number to it?


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## pingvincina (Nov 14, 2009)

So the solution of this problem should be something like this:

x^2+6x+c=0
x1=k x2=k-1
That means this: x1=x2+1
(To shorten the solution I wil use D instead of 36-4c)

x1= (-6 + D)/2
x2= (-6 - D)/2

From x1=x2+1 we get:
(-6 + D)/2= (-6 - D)/2 +1

You should know what's next now...let me know the result


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## pingvincina (Nov 14, 2009)

I was writing the post while you posted yours. Yes, as you can see from my post, it's possible to put an exact number to c


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## BeautifullyDecayed. (Nov 14, 2009)

This may sound very stupid
but how did you get this..
x1= (-6 + D)/2
x2= (-6 - D)/2

I understand everything up to this point.


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## pingvincina (Nov 14, 2009)

x1 = -b + sqrt(b^2 -4ac) /2a
x2 = -b - sqrt(b^2 -4ac) /2a
And then you just throw in the numbers you know. 
a=1
b=6
And you get:
x1= -6 + sqrt(36-4c) /2
x1= -6 - sqrt(36-4c) /2


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## BeautifullyDecayed. (Nov 14, 2009)

Great, thanks
I got c=8.75


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## nitrocan (Nov 14, 2009)

k + k -1 = -6
k = -5/2
c = k*(k-1) = -5/2*(-7/2) = 35/4


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## pingvincina (Nov 14, 2009)

c=k*(k*-*1)=35/4
She already wrote that she doesn't know about Viete -.-''


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## BeautifullyDecayed. (Nov 14, 2009)

does c=8.75?


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## nitrocan (Nov 14, 2009)

Then let me explain:
a(x-x1)(x-x2) = 0
a(x^2 -x*x2 - x*x1 + x1*x2) = 0
a(x^2 -x*(x1+x2) + x1*x2) = 0
so b = a*-(x1+x2)
x1+x2 = -b/a
and so x1*x2 = c/a


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## pingvincina (Nov 14, 2009)

@Nitrocan: If they're still learning about determinant that means that they are on the beginning of quadratic equation. That means that she probably didn't learn about that decomposition. 
@BeautifullyDecayed.: Yes that is the correct answer


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## nitrocan (Nov 14, 2009)

pingvincina said:


> @Nitrocan: If they're still learning about *determinant* that means that they are on the beginning of quadratic equation. That means that she probably didn't learn about that decomposition.
> @BeautifullyDecayed.: Yes that is the correct answer



?

The formula b^2 - 4ac requires more math knowledge than the Viete thing or whatever.,
Besides, what is that formula sheet given with you? Are you supposed to look at the formulas there and solve the equations with them? Can you not use any other methods?

For example:
x^2 + 6x + c = 0
x^2 + 6x + 9 = 9 - c
(x+3)^2 = 9-c
x+3 = sqrt(9-c)
x = sqrt(9-c) - 3 and
x = -sqrt(9-c) - 3
x1 - x2 = 1 so
sqrt(9-c) - 3 + sqrt(9-c) + 3 = 1
sqrt(9-c) = 1/2
9-c = 1/4
c = 35/4


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## pingvincina (Nov 14, 2009)

Sorry I had other things on my mid so i wrote determinant...Of course I meant discriminant*. I'm not saying that they are not allowed to use other methods. It's just that they are learning something new and they have to work it out by solving problems. That's all. And when they have better understanding and knowledge of quadratic equation they can move on freestyle i.e. using their knowledge to solve it in the shortest and most elegant way(like the one you wrote, which I like very much)


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## nitrocan (Nov 14, 2009)

pingvincina said:


> Sorry I had other things on my mid so i wrote determinant...Of course I meant discriminant*. I'm not saying that they are not allowed to use other methods. It's just that they are learning something new and they have to work it out by solving problems. That's all. And when they have better understanding and knowledge of quadratic equation they can move on freestyle i.e. using their knowledge to solve it in the shortest and most elegant way(like the one you wrote, which I like very much)



I didn't mean to sound like I was saying the "look at the formulas" stuff to you. I just don't like the way math is being taught. Showing how the formulas are derrived will make it so that the student will never have a problem with solving those kinds of equations again. It's like using no intuition on F2L, only algorithms (if that makes any sense ).


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## pingvincina (Nov 15, 2009)

Hehe...That's a good comparison...I agree with your opinion about teachers teaching formulas to kids because by solving so many problems(''practicing'') they lose creativity...But it's enough spamming now I think


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## Dene (Nov 15, 2009)

nitrocan: you overestimate the New Zealand education system - we don't learn to do maths in that way (although if you want to do scholarship maths in the final year it is necessary which is kind of stupid as it isn't taught).

BeautifullyDecayed: Don't worry too much; 6th form maths is a joke. Just make sure you put down anything you know, even if you only put down the formula that you are meant to use without applying it in any way. You get bonus points for that (who knows why, but take advantage of the moronic system as much as you can). Good luck for your exam tomorrow.


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## Inf3rn0 (Nov 15, 2009)

Keen for some sweet maths tomorrow!


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## BeautifullyDecayed. (Nov 15, 2009)

Doh, yes Cameron, except your tutoring sucks!!!
Thanks Dene, yeah it's a joke up to the point where you need 13 more excellence credits for an endorsement!!


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## nitrocan (Nov 15, 2009)

Dene said:


> nitrocan: you overestimate the New Zealand education system - we don't learn to do maths in that way (although if you want to do scholarship maths in the final year it is necessary which is kind of stupid as it isn't taught).
> 
> BeautifullyDecayed: Don't worry too much; 6th form maths is a joke. Just make sure you put down anything you know, even if you only put down the formula that you are meant to use without applying it in any way. You get bonus points for that (who knows why, but take advantage of the moronic system as much as you can). Good luck for your exam tomorrow.



I don't really know about New Zealand as you said, but in my country it's just as I described. I go to a relatively better school since there's an exam to get into BOTH high school and college in here so all my classmates are around the same level as me overall. But I know for sure that in most of the schools, the teacher just writes down the formulas and doesn't even explain them since the students don't even want the proof.


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## Dene (Nov 15, 2009)

nitrocan said:


> Dene said:
> 
> 
> > nitrocan: you overestimate the New Zealand education system - we don't learn to do maths in that way (although if you want to do scholarship maths in the final year it is necessary which is kind of stupid as it isn't taught).
> ...



Yep - that sound exactly right. The problem here is not that people don't want to know, but that if the teacher even bothered to try to explain it not a single person would have a clue what was going on, except for a very few students. I wish there was an alternative system in New Zealand for "advanced" students, but there isn't. There just aren't enough brainy people to put the money into. This country is full of morons >_>


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## BeautifullyDecayed. (Nov 17, 2009)

Dene said:


> nitrocan said:
> 
> 
> > Dene said:
> ...




Amen.


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## V-te (Nov 17, 2009)

nitrocan said:


> But I know for sure that in most of the schools, the teacher just writes down the formulas and doesn't even explain them since the students don't even want the proof.



That's a lie! I would tell you how much I beg for a proof of a formula we are given. I ask the teacher. He says "Memorize the formula". The problem is, I want to know why the constants are there. Most of the time, there will be an even easier formula, that he doesn't use because he has to teach "according to standards" (Damn you NCLB!!!!!) Not only that, when he does explain it, and we understand it, I get a series of "Ohhhh's" from around the class. This shows you that many students are just afraid to ask because they don't 
wanna be seen as "stupid"

We lack understanding and I believe that if we had a system based on understanding, rather than "standards", people wouldn't think math is hard. 
I used to, until I started researching why everything is what it is. 

I demand understanding!!!!!!!


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## nitrocan (Nov 17, 2009)

V-te said:


> nitrocan said:
> 
> 
> > But I know for sure that in most of the schools, the teacher just writes down the formulas and doesn't even explain them since the students don't even want the proof.
> ...



So do I, and when I ask the teacher, he gives me the proof or I just figure it out by myself while he continues teaching. I'm just talking about the majority of the students who aren't really interested in how that formula was derived.


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## Dene (Nov 17, 2009)

BeautifullyDecayed. said:


> Dene said:
> 
> 
> > nitrocan said:
> ...



Heh, good to know that one of the few other intelligent people picked up cubing, anyway


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## BeautifullyDecayed. (Nov 19, 2009)

Dene said:


> BeautifullyDecayed. said:
> 
> 
> > Dene said:
> ...



Meh, I don't feel at all particulary intelligent. In New Zealand I find if you work hard you will pass.
People who don't care frustrate me, I had an exam today and you HAVE to stay for the first hour, after that people start leaving. It's funny to see the people who leave first, they have smug smiles on as if they think they are really cool for leaving so early, I just don't understand that!
Why isn't it cool to want to understand stuff?


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## Dene (Nov 19, 2009)

Work hard? I think you're wasting your time with that. In high school, and in university, you can coast by, doing nothing. It's all straight forward.
Personally, I never left exams early, but I did spend most of my exam time resting/accidentally falling asleep in physics. Of course, I only scraped through most of my classes with the bare minimum (actually, now that I come to think about it, only about half of my classes; the other half I did well in without trying). Once you realise that high school is completely meaningless you will stop caring. If you want to get lots of scholarships then you will have to do independent work, otherwise you should be ok without it.
I always thought that getting to university would be different, but it turns out it isn't. Lot's of morons, and really low standards. How very unfortunate.


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## BeautifullyDecayed. (Nov 19, 2009)

Dene said:


> Work hard? I think you're wasting your time with that. In high school, and in university, you can coast by, doing nothing. It's all straight forward.
> Personally, I never left exams early, but I did spend most of my exam time resting/accidentally falling asleep in physics. Of course, I only scraped through most of my classes with the bare minimum (actually, now that I come to think about it, only about half of my classes; the other half I did well in without trying). Once you realise that high school is completely meaningless you will stop caring. If you want to get lots of scholarships then you will have to do independent work, otherwise you should be ok without it.
> I always thought that getting to university would be different, but it turns out it isn't. Lot's of morons, and really low standards. How very unfortunate.



Yep, that's how it is.
I work pretty hard. I got a merit endorsement last year [level 1] and was 8 credits off excellence.
So this year I've gone pretty hard-out, I now need 13 more excellence credits from externals to get an excellence endorsement and somehow got "top year 12 scholar" at my school.
Basically, if you work hard, you can get places  
I could probably pass without working so hard, but if I get an excellence endorsement this year I get preference in hostels at uni, I'd much rather be in a nice one!
Also, vic are offering up to $4,800 scholarships for people with E endorsement.
I'm sure other unis are too.
Also, seeing as I got top scholar I guess I have a reasonable chance at dux next year - if I work hard, and that's worth heeeaps.
You seem very intelligent, if you worked you would get recognised for it.
But I guess some people don't feel the need to be recognised, or need the money, in which case I can understand that
But I'd like my parents to be able to retire early and enjoy their older years rather than paying for me to go through uni.. a little bit of work now for them doesn't bother me.. I also like the thought of getting through uni almost completely independantly
What uni are you at?
Sorry for writing a novel.


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## Dene (Nov 19, 2009)

Dene likes reading novels. 
I don't know about all these endorsements - they sound nice, but I don't think they were around a few years ago when I went through it - or else I would have gotten one, at the very least in 5th form where I don't think I got a single achieved >.< (well, maybe that's a mild exaggeration, but I got almost all merits in 5th form). Scholarships are certainly nice. Your best chance at getting free money is to sit scholarship exams - university scholarships will be harder to get. I know a guy who got 5 scholarship exams, and his prize was $5000 each year for the next 3 years  . He only just missed out on doubling that. He also got some other scholarships, in total probably around $30000. That's what you get for being really brainy.
I'm at Canterbury, but I went to Saint Bernard's College (Lower Hutt).


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## BeautifullyDecayed. (Nov 19, 2009)

Oh okay.. I'm still unsure where I want to go or what I want to do.. Which sucks.
Yeah next year I'm going for a Chem scholarship which is issued in my region and its $1,000 a year for 3 years.


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## Dene (Nov 20, 2009)

Ewww I always hated chemistry. Chemistry is like wannabe physics. Have you considered doing the scholarship science paper? With a bit of a catch up on astronomy and geology, that's an easy pick. I know 2 people that got it in 6th form.


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## ManasijV (Nov 20, 2009)

So simple
k+k-1=-6
2k=-5
k=-5/2
k-1=-7/2
c=k(k-1)=35/4
You study this in year 12?
I'm sorry. I didn't see that the solution was in page 2


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## BeautifullyDecayed. (Nov 20, 2009)

Dene said:


> Ewww I always hated chemistry. Chemistry is like wannabe physics. Have you considered doing the scholarship science paper? With a bit of a catch up on astronomy and geology, that's an easy pick. I know 2 people that got it in 6th form.



NOO!
Don't say that about chemistry!! 
I don't think I'm taking physics next year.. But I'm pondering it.
I HATE electricity but I liked waves and mechanics..
I got 2nd in physics in my year, but never actually understood anything til just before the real exams. How silly is that?!

Maybe you didn't have a good chem teacher?? A schol paper in 6th form?! But 6th form is over for me after 27th November! ;D


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## Dene (Nov 21, 2009)

Our chem teacher was ok, I just always saw chem as being completely redundant. It's like the boring stuff between physics and biology.
I still remember my physics experience so well, because our class went from having the best physics teacher in the country in 6th form (he wrote the text book that you probably work from and won an international award), to having a complete moron in 7th form that knew nothing about physics. In 7th form physics I spent the whole year either sleeping in class, listening to music (or doing both), or making the teacher's life a complete misery. It was rather a lot of fun but I didn't learn anything the whole year.
Then at the very end of the year, after classes but before the exam our old teacher paid a visit. When he realised how little I knew, he took me into the next room for a private session for like 30 minutes, in which I learnt enough to pass waves and mechanics. 10 credits for 30 min of work >.< . However that still meant I technically failed physics, but I had every intention of failing, just to make a statement. Unfortunately, knowing nothing until just before the exam didn't get me second in physics >.< . Two people in our class got scholarship physics


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## BeautifullyDecayed. (Nov 21, 2009)

That's strange.
At our school biology is seen as the drop kick bum subject.
Bio is to chem/physics what stats is to calc.

My teacher is pretty old, he has taught for a long time and is retiring soon.
He means well but his teaching methods are very old fashioned and hard to adapt to, however I don't think he is taking the 7th form physics class next year.
What are you studying at uni??

Oh and the text book the school issues is written by:
Athol Binns, Denis Burchill, David Houseden and Peter Kinsler.
But I also have my own books which are written by: David Housden [again] and another by Chris Rutter
x]


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## Dene (Nov 21, 2009)

Yep, David Housden was my teacher  . I think he's back at St. Bernard's now, but I'm not sure. The reason that there are multiple authors is because they were the authors of older editions of the book. The newest edition was by Mr. Housden alone.
I actually have ended up studying Psychology and Philosophy at uni. My parents were extremely disappointed that I didn't do engineering  . But to be honest I wanted to do something where I could do more than the same thing for the rest of my life, not going anywhere in particular. Engineering is a really limiting major.
It's interesting that bio is seen so poorly at your school. 6th form bio isn't particularly exciting, but I loved 7th form bio. Evolution is the best. Not only that, but it should be taught to kids in primariy school, not only to those taking 7th form bio... what a shame our school system is.


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## BeautifullyDecayed. (Nov 21, 2009)

Yes, I agree!
I didn't take bio this year I took Maths, English, Chem, Physics, Economics and Classical Studies

Next year I think I'll do Stats, Chem, Bio, English and Economics.

What sort of careers could you go into after doing psychology and philosophy?
Is that like, learning about human behaviour?


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## Faz (Nov 21, 2009)

Spoiler



[12:46:21 PM] Feliks: http://www.speedsolving.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16873&page=4
[12:46:24 PM] Feliks: lol denes flirting
[12:46:40 PM] David Woner: DENE DOES NOT KNOW THE MEANING OF THE WORD FLIRT
[12:46:59 PM] Jules Manalang: lol
[12:47:05 PM] David Woner: I wonder if she thinks dene is a girl


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## BeautifullyDecayed. (Nov 21, 2009)

..Could someone enlighten me? 
x]


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## Dene (Nov 21, 2009)

BeautifullyDecayed. said:


> Yes, I agree!
> I didn't take bio this year I took Maths, English, Chem, Physics, Economics and Classical Studies
> 
> Next year I think I'll do Stats, Chem, Bio, English and Economics.
> ...



You're not doing calc? That's a shame. I hated stats so I didn't take it, then in psyc we're made to do stats anyway >_>.
I'm looking at Clinical Psychology at the moment. I want to get into therapy, possibly marital therapy or something. Philosophy is more of a hobby.
Psychology is any study to do with the brain, including human behaviour. Philosophy can be about whatever you want it to be as long as it doesn't fit into another science  .


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## BeautifullyDecayed. (Nov 21, 2009)

psychology sounds interesting.
No, well, I'm aiming for dux next yr and I'm not good enough at maths to get a placing in calc, so stats would be easier!
So it's kinda worth money not doing calc.

Although I might need it if I do chem at uni.. :S


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## nitrocan (Nov 21, 2009)

fazrulz said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Isn't that what the title sa.. Oh, wait.


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## Dene (Nov 21, 2009)

Majoring in chemistry? I don't think you'll need calc for that.
Anyway, I'd recommend that you take introductory psychology if you have gaps in your first year timetable, which you probably will. It's an easy A, and it's cool!


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## BeautifullyDecayed. (Nov 21, 2009)

Can you do that? That sounds awesome.
Yeah Mummy [also my chem teacher - doh!] was talking to a chem lecturer at vic who said calc is very handy for chem at uni.
I actually don't really understand how courses work at uni, it's daunting to think that this time next year I'll be going to uni!! 
What other stuff can you get into with psychology? Other than therapy?

P.S Nice ice skating!


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## Dene (Nov 22, 2009)

Yes it is quite unfortunate that no one has any idea how the university system works when they are first going into it.
Basically you have a major, in your case chemistry. When you have finished your three years minimum of study, you get a degree (personally I think the additional step of giving someone a degree is completely pointless) which should be a Bachelor of Science for a chem major.
To get the chem major there will be minimum requirements expected by the university (you will have to look at the website or the enrolment handbook for the requirements). These requirements will be something along the lines of "Get XX points in level 1/2/3 chemistry, including CHEM101 and CHEM102 at level 1, and CHEM210 at level 2" or something like that.
CHEM101 and 102 are what we call papers (I made up the names, but they actually quite possibly exist). The high school equivalent is like the different topics you do within a subject (I think in 7th form biology you do genetics, evolution, human evolution, and something else).
Passing a paper will give you a certain amount of points. I don't know what the points system is like at Vic, but at Canterbury a first year paper is usually worth around 18 points, second year 20, third year 22.
So in this example, to get a degree in chemistry you will have to take CHEM101 and 102 in first year, at the bare minimum. But then you will have a whole lot of gaps to fill. You should aim to take 6-8 papers every year (3 or 4 per semester). Which means, in this example, you would have an extra 4-6 papers to take. Basically, you can fill the gaps with absolutely anything you want, as long as you meet any pre-requisites (usually for engineering classes like calc and physics they expect you to have done 7th form classes). I highly doubt psyc has any pre-requisites, which means you could take first year psychology no problem. 
Because I'm doing a double major, in my first year I took the two introductory psyc courses and three philosophy courses. This meant I could take 1-3 more papers. I ended up doing the two first year maths courses compulsory for engineering majors (calculus, basically). So I did 7 papers in my first year. I've only taken 6 papers each year since. I think you have to do 5 papers minimum to be considered a full time student (so that you can get a loan if you so desire).

From psyc you can get into lots of things. A large majority of people who go on with psychology end up doing research in universities, and lecture on the side. They research such things as: personality, social psychology, neuropsychology, behavioural psychology, cognition, vision psychology, adult and adolescent psychology, family psychology and so on. Lots of options! Otherwise people get into counselling, or criminal psychology (working with prisons and police forces), industrial psychology (working for businesses, helping them get more money) and that sort of thing.


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## BeautifullyDecayed. (Nov 22, 2009)

Woah, Emily likes novels! ;D
You explained that very well! I am not 100% sure with chem, might consider biochem or something else - I'm pretty clue-less.
I have also been thinking about law.
I will most likely do a double degree and I'm very keen on psychology!! How many years have you been in uni?! I am very much looking forward to it!!
I definately think in NZ we need more career advice, like, actually be told what courses are about and be told about uni BEFORE 7th form!! It's so hard choosing subjects for next year not knowing what I want to do, and I'm pretty sure heaps of other people are the same.
How did you decide what you wanted to do?


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## Dene (Nov 22, 2009)

BeautifullyDecayed. said:


> Woah, Emily likes novels! ;D
> You explained that very well! I am not 100% sure with chem, might consider biochem or something else - I'm pretty clue-less.
> I have also been thinking about law.
> I will most likely do a double degree and I'm very keen on psychology!! How many years have you been in uni?! I am very much looking forward to it!!
> ...



Biochem is a good choice I think. Law, probably not so much  . Law probably has the highest rate of drop-outs of any major. There is so much work involved and it's all so dull. 
When you say double degree, you probably mean double major. Double degree would be something like taking a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Commerce. Not many people do double degrees, it requires a lot more work. Double major is when you take two subjects within the same degree, which is what I'm doing, and many other people do it too. You could do a double major in biochem and psychology or something.
I just finished my third year, and I'm doing a fourth. I'm not expected to do a fourth year, but I have to because I fell half a year behind doing an overseas exchange. 
To decide what I wanted to do I basically went to the subject listings page on the Canterbury uni site (here), and went through every one that I might have an interest in.


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## BeautifullyDecayed. (Nov 22, 2009)

Yes, I'm guessing I mean double major?
I don't know, I was thinking about doing chem/biochem and law.
But yeah, as you said, law might be quite dull! But I'm really keen on forensics [not just beause of CSI - I've never even watched it.] And I thought law might help for that, but looking into it it's pretty unrealistic coz there are next to no jobs for forensic scientists in NZ and there are heaps of people doing it...
I think I'll just pick whatever I find interesting and hope there is a job at the end of it.. I would love to do science research but that's terrible for job security, etc.. 
Why did you choose Canterbury?


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## Dene (Nov 23, 2009)

Actually, for biochem and law you might have to do a double degree. Forensics is actually an interesting choice; I bet it would be quite fun but also a bit gruesome at times >.< . You could do what I'm doing, and get out of the country if you want to get a job in forensics  .
I chose Canterbury because I needed to get away from Wellington, I didn't want to commute to Vic everyday, and because Canterbury is really convenient with other family living here which I stayed with (until my Mum ended up moving down here anyway). It was actually a guy I know that chose to come here that got me onto the idea - I hadn't thought about choosing another university until he mentioned that he was probably going to Canterbury to do engineering (which you can do at Vic now anyway).


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## BeautifullyDecayed. (Nov 23, 2009)

I have been thinking about Vic, just cause its an hour and a half away.. so I'll be in a hostel [then flatting] so I'm still away from home but also close enough to go home at weekends etc, also if I'm going to do law I'll definately go to Vic... I live half way between Welly and Palmy but I just don't like Palmy that much!
It is really frustrating not being able to decide what I want to do  I think after exams I might just hit up the Vic website and take a look around for a while.. Do people often change their degree once they have been at uni for like half a year or something? Are you allowed to if you decide you don't like whatever it is you are doing?


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## Dene (Nov 23, 2009)

Oh people change what they're doing all the time. Basically, every time you enrol, which is at least once every year, you re-apply to do whatever degree you want. So you can change it whenever you want, basically.
And yes, it would be a good idea to spend some time going around the site and looking at the different options. You'll find that very few people have an idea of what they want to do going into uni. The best thing you can do is leave your options open.


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## BeautifullyDecayed. (Nov 23, 2009)

Yeah, I am trying to do that with the subjects I am taking this year.
Doh, am I making this out to be a wayyy bigger deal than it is?!
Have you changed yours while you have been at uni?


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## Dene (Nov 24, 2009)

Haha no don't worry, almost everyone stresses out about uni, but then they realise it isn't so bad. The only thing is that uni is quite an independent thing; you will have to look around and figure things out for yourself. There will be people at the university that you can speak to about things, but if you prefer not to you can go through the whole thing yourself. 
I haven't changed my plans since I've been at uni, fortunately I chose the right subjects from the start. However I am having a bit of a postgrad crisis at the moment


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## BeautifullyDecayed. (Nov 24, 2009)

Oh dear! Will you go on to do masters or work?
[is that the big crisis?]
If you wanna become a teacher you should do a masters because then at school prizegivings you can be cool coz you won't have fur on your gown when most other teachers do and you can feel supreme 
Do you work while at uni? Do many people? Or do you not have time??


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## Dene (Nov 24, 2009)

Lol teacher. I have no interest in becoming a teacher, nor if I did would I be at a school prizegiving, nor if I was would I wear a stupid gown >.<
I'm definitely going on to do graduate work, the question is whether I can get into an overseas university, or whether I'm stuck here. Also, if I do get into an overseas university, what I have to do first to get there. 
Yes I work, part time at a Pizza Hut. I think most people do work except perhaps those doing engineering and law, or medicine, or other demanding degree like that. Although, I think with those types of degrees you have to do related work as part of the degree requirements anyway.
For myself personally, I have lots of time because I don't need to do any extra work to pass papers with good grades ^_^


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## BeautifullyDecayed. (Nov 24, 2009)

Eww, good, my mum is a teacher. I wouldn't be able to handle it you have to be so patient.
Where do you want to go overseas? Where did you go last year?
I dunno if I'll do a uni exchange as I have done a lot of travelling already but I'd love to go travelling either as a gap year [I doubt I'd have enough money] or after uni, so I can decide where I wanna live.
Why don't you do extra work? And if you did, what kind of benefit would you get out of it? Is there different levels of degree, like the NCEA merit and excellence endorsements?


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## Dene (Nov 24, 2009)

At the moment I'm hoping to get into the Clinical Pyschology program at UCBerkeley (University of California, Berkeley campus (in San Francisco). Earlier this year I went on exchange to UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles).
If by extra work, you mean as part of the degree, then that depends on the degree. To get some degrees you have to have experience in the field, for most degrees you don't. (Or at least, for the BSc and BA, the two most common degrees, you don't). The benefits of the work are that you get practical experience in the field that you are training, which is really good. 
I don't know what the merit and excellence endorsements are (as I mentioned earlier I have never heard of them), but I don't think that there is a similar thing with degrees. Basically, the value of the degree depends on the reputation of the university (which is why I want to go to a good university for my graduate study), and of course better grades always look better.


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