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These resources have been reviewed and selected by STEM Learning’s team of education specialists for factual accuracy and relevance to teaching STEM subjects in UK schools.

Exploring Pure Mathematics

This resource, produced by the Centre for Teaching Mathematics at the University of Plymouth, is designed to provide short problems to stimulate discussion of mathematics amongst A level students and between students and their teachers; and to provide some longer investigations which search more deeply into the students’ understanding of the topics in GCE Advanced level mathematics.

Student material 1: What and why consists of 90 problems designed to test students’ understanding of some of the basic concepts of mathematics. The problems help expose common misunderstandings and thus help students to resolve them. The problems can be classified into eight loose groupings: proofs and fallacies, trigonometry, algebra and functions, limits and calculus, numerical methods, vectors, complex numbers and matrices.

Student material 2: pure investigations contains 20 longer investigations. The first of these investigations are suitable for use with GCSE level students as an integral part of the learning process. Students could be encouraged to solve these problems using higher level mathematical skills.

Student material 3: pure hints and nudges provides ‘hints and nudges’ for students. It is intended that these should be given out if a group experiences difficulties while tackling an investigation. They provide a more structured route through an investigation for those who need it. The teacher material provides solutions to the problems contained in the student materials.

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