Site Menu
Homepage
Handing in Work
Rooms
Miscellaneous
Worked Solutions
Advice
Archive

Supervisions: Work to Do

Instructions

Easter Term 2022

Past Paper Revision Resources

There's a collection of hints and worked solutions to most of the questions from the 2018 past papers in the subjects that I teach.

For IA NST Maths I have written out worked solutions to the 2010 and 2014 past papers. If you've made a serious attempt at these papers, and agree not to pass them on to anyone else, then I'll send you a copy. If you've already asked and I haven't sent them yet, please let me know by e-mail; I recall that several of you asked about this in person, but I've forgotten who you are...

For IB Physics A I have written out worked solutions to most of the 2010 past papers, and for IB Physics B to the 2014 past papers, on the same basis as the above. If you've asked me in person then please also send me an e-mail; I have forgotten who some of you are. Solutions to the 2016 and 2015 past papers can be found on the TiS. (And now that I know that I'm not going to write any out myself!)

If you have any last-minute questions about how to do particular questions from past papers, you can come to A45 in Selwyn to ask me at any of the following times. (There's no need to book.)

Work for supervisions between 30th May and 4th June

IA NST Maths, both courses: All of the remaining questions on the question sheet. Also bring with you (but do not hand in) any questions that you have about the past papers that you are doing to prepare for the exam. This will be the last supervision in this subject.

Work for supervisions between 23rd and 28th May

IA NST Maths, Course A: Questions 18-20 from question sheet 1, and 1-4 from question sheet 2.

IA NST Maths, Course B: Questions 27-31 from question sheet 1, where question 31 is optional, and question 1 from question sheet 2.

IB Physics A and IB Physics B: All of the remaining questions on the question sheet. Also bring with you (but do not hand in) any questions that you have about the past papers that you are doing to prepare for the exam. This will be the last supervision in this subject.

Work for supervisions between 16th and 21st May

IA NST Maths, Course A: Questions 11-17.

IA NST Maths, Course B: Questions 12-26, omitting 20 and 21.

IB Physics A: Questions 6 and 7, then 1-4 from the new sheet.

IB Physics B: Questions 6-11.

Work for supervisions between 9th and 14th May

IA NST Maths, Course A: Questions 1-10. Omit 4(d) and 9(a)(iii).

IA NST Maths, Course B: Questions 1-11. In question 3, only deal with the first three products (A^2, AB, AC).

IB Physics A: Questions 2-5. (Plus 1 if not done last week.)

IB Physics B: Questions 2-5. (Plus 1 if not done last week.)

Holiday Work: Easter 2022

In each subject the first item of holiday work is to go back over everything that you've done, make sure that you understand it, and revise for the coming exams.

When doing past Tripos papers, I think it's always a good idea to try them under timed conditions first, to practice working under time pressure, and then to go back and spend longer---in some cases much longer---to fix what you couldn't do in the time and make the best answers that you can. (You don't need to tell me which bit is timed in the work that you submit, though; please make sure that all of your final answer to a question is in one place, and just submit that.)

At the end of lectures in the Easter term, I'll make available worked solutions to the 2018 past papers in all of the subjects that I teach, so it would be a good idea to save those papers for revision shortly before the exams.

IA NST Maths: Course A

The work is due in by 12 noon on Tuesday 26th April.

IA NST Maths: Course B

The work is due in by 12 noon on Tuesday 26th April.

IB Physics A

The work is due in by various deadlines.

IB Physics B

The work is due in by various deadlines.

Work to Do: Lent Term 2022

Supervisions between 14th and 19th March

IA NST Maths, A course: Questions S10-S13 and 14-18.

IA NST Maths, B course: S3, S4, and questions 14-23. Omit 22, and optionally omit 15.

IB Physics A: Questions 6-8 (plus 5 if not done last week) from question sheet III, then 1 and 2 from question sheet IV.

IB Physics B: Questions 3-8.

Supervisions between 7th and 12th March

IA NST Maths, A course: Question 19, then S1 and questions 2-7 from question sheet 3. Optionally include 9*, and 8* if you are very keen.

IA NST Maths, B course: S1, S2, and questions 6-13.

IB Physics A: Questions 1-3, and also 4 and 5 if the lecturer has lectured far enough.

IB Physics B: Questions 39-41 from fluids, and 1 and 2 from thermodynamics.

Supervisions between 28th February and 5th March

IA NST Maths, A course: Questions 13-18, omitting 16.

IA NST Maths, B course: Questions 17-22. Question 20 is optional (but do attempt it if you can).

IB Physics A: Questions 9-14.

IB Physics B: Questions 34-38.

Supervisions between 21st and 26th February

IA NST Maths, A course: Questions 9-12. Part (ii) of 12 is difficult and optional.

IA NST Maths, B course: S3 and questions 10-16. Optionally omit 13(ii) and 16(c).

IB Physics A: Questions 2-8.

IB Physics B: Questions 28-33.

Supervisions between 14th and 19th February

IA NST Maths, A course: Questions S1 to 8. The second part of 8 is optional.

IA NST Maths, B course: Questions S1a, S1c, S2, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9..

IB Physics A: Questions 12-16, then 1 from the new sheet.

IB Physics B: Questions 22-27.

Supervisions between 7th and 12th February

Sorry for the late update this week.

IA NST Maths, A course: Questions S9, S10, and 11-13.

IA NST Maths, B course: Questions 9-13; optionally also X26 (and/or X24 or even X25).

IB Physics A: Questions 7-11.

IB Physics B: Questions 16-21.

Supervisions between 31st January and 5th February

IA NST Maths, A course: S1, S2, S3, S4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

IA NST Maths, B course: S1g, S1j, S2c, S2f, S3b, S4b, 5, 6a, 6b, 7, 8a, 8b, 8c.

IB Physics A: Questions 1-6.

IB Physics B: Questions 10-15.

Holiday Work: Christmas 2021

IA NST Maths

I'll begin supervisions for IA NST Maths on Monday 24th January, but this work is due in by 12 noon on Tuesday 18th January.

Queens' students: don't do the 2014 past papers for me, as you have past paper questions from your DoS instead. The only compulsory work for you is K3-6.

IB Physics A

I'll begin supervisions in IB Physics A on Monday 17th January. The first supervision will be for going through the examples sheet and 2012 paper 1, which must be handed in (or sent in online) by noon on Thursday 13th January. The rest of the holiday work must be handed in on paper by noon on Tuesday 18th January; we shan't go through it in the first supervision.

IB Physics B

I'll begin supervisions in IB Physics B on Monday 17th January. The first supervision will be for going through the examples sheet and 2013 paper 1, which must be handed in (or sent in online) by noon on Thursday 13th January. The rest of the holiday work must be handed in on paper by noon on Tuesday 18th January; we shan't go through it in the first supervision.

Work to Do: Michaelmas Term 2021

I plan to update this table on Wednesday mornings this term.

Date of SupervisionWork for IA Nat. Sci. MathsWork for IB Physics AWork for IB Physics B
(Course A)(Course B)
11th-16th OctoberNo work set. (But look back over the maths work that you've done before arriving, and consider if there's anything that you want to ask about it.)No supervision this week.
18th-23rd October All questions from sections A and B on the question sheet, except that you may omit A1 and A3 if you like.Questions A1, A3, A4, A5, A7, A8, B3, B4, B5, B6, B7, B8, B10, B11, and B13.Questions 1-5 from experimental methods (omitting 4(b)) and question 1 from osciallations.Questions 1-6.
25th-30th OctoberSections C, D, and E.C1(iv), {C3(ii) or X2}*, C4, C5(i, ii, iii), C7, C9, C10, C12, D1, D2, E2, E3, E4, F1(b, e, g, h).Questions 6-9 from experimental methods and 2 and 3 from osciallations, omitting the part of question 3 that is about cheese.Questions 7-12.
1st-6th NovemberQuestions 1-13 from section F. If you are already very good with complex numbers, omit question 1 completely, and only do parts (b), (d), (f), (h) and (j) from question 2.{F3(c,d) or X4}*, F4(c), {F5(c) or X7}, F6, F7(b,d,e,f,g,h,i,k), F8, F10, F11, F13(b), F14(e), F15(d), F17, F18(c,e), F19, G1, G3(b,e), G4, H1(e,f,h), H2(a,c,e), H3.Questions 10-14 from experimental methods, and 4 and 5 from oscillations.Questions 13-18.
8th-13th NovemberF14-15, all of section G, and H1-7, optionally omitting H1(b,d,f,h), H2(b,d,f,h), and H5(d).H4, H5, I1, J1, K1, K2, L1, L2. Optionally add X9.Questions 15-17 from experimental methods, and 6-9 from waves and oscillations. (Note that question 7 isn't optional.)Questions 19-24.
15th-20th NovemberH8 to H15.M1, M2, M3, N1, N2, N4, O1, P1(d,g), P2(c,d,e), P3(b), P4. Optionally add X11.Questions 10-15. If you don't want to use a computer for 15 then it can be done by algebra. (But this may take longer!)Questions 25 to 30.
22nd-27th NovemberH16, H17, all of section I, J1, J2.P5(d,g), P6(all), P7, P9, P10, P12, P15, Q1, Q2, Q4, Q6. Optionally add integration-based extension questions such as X17.Questions 16(a), 17, 18, 19(a), 20, and 21. Add 16(b) and/or 19(b) only if you want an extra challenge.Questions 31-37.
29th November - 4th DecemberThe rest of section J, and questions 1 and 2 from section K.P14, Q8, Q9, {R1 or X23}*, R2, R3, R4, R5, R7, R8, R9. [If you do X23, don't try to find the mean and standard deviation in (f).]Questions 22-28. Omit 24(a) and 24(d).Questions 38-44.

General notes

Where to find the questions

What I will mark

Re-arranging supervisions

I'm happy to re-arrange supervisions for almost any reason, providing that I have a week's notice. This means that you need to talk to me about it in the previous supervision (i.e. the supervision before the one that you want to rearrange), when all of the affected people are in the same place.

There's no need to read the rest of this section unless you are looking to re-arrange a supervision with less than a week's notice.

Sometimes students ask me to re-arrange their supervisions by e-mail, giving me less than a week's notice. The trouble with this is that it requires a number of e-mails to establish a possible alternative time that all three or four people affected can make, and for me to book a room. This series of e-mails usually takes a few days, by which point some possible rearranged times have already been and gone, and during which I have to allow not only for my regular timetable and the time of the rearranged supervision, but also for a number of hypothetical timetables based on rearrangements that might never happen. This is inconvenient, and if several students are asking for such rearrangements at once, can become impossible. And I don't think it fair to provide a flexibility to some students that I can't give to everyone. Furthermore, I consider that providing a reasonable amount of notice for rearranging supervisions is a basic level of professionalism with regard to their academic commitments that can reasonably be expected of students. Therefore I shall not re-arrange any supervision with less than a week's notice except for academic or health reasons.