MATSEC AM Applied Mathematics case studies
MATSEC AM Applied Mathematics · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The MATSEC Advanced Level Applied Mathematics examination is a Maltese post-secondary qualification that assesses how well a candidate can apply mathematical reasoning to physical and statistical situations. It is aimed at students who have completed the Advanced Level course of study, typically at a sixth form or a licensed college, and who intend to use the subject for university admission in engineering, the physical sciences, economics, computer science or mathematics itself. The MATSEC AM Applied Mathematics case studies are 5 cases and about 2,518 words.
1Braking distance and the wet-road decision
A delivery van is travelling at 22 m/s on a straight, level road. The driver suddenly sees a fallen tree blocking the lane 55 m ahead.
510 words, about 3 min2Ladder slip: worker position and wall angle
A uniform ladder of length 6.0 m and mass 20 kg rests against a smooth vertical wall and on a rough horizontal floor. The foot of the ladder is 2.63 m from the wall, so the ladder makes an angle of 64° with the horizontal.
547 words, about 3 min3Pile driver: impact loss and clay resistance
A pile driver is used to drive a steel pile into stiff clay. The hammer has mass 420 kg and is released from rest 2.0 m above the top of the pile.
468 words, about 2 min4Overbooking a 180-seat flight
A small airline operates a 180-seat aircraft on a route where, historically, 6% of passengers who have booked do not turn up. The airline is considering selling 190 tickets for the flight.
502 words, about 3 min5Bottle fill: one-tailed test and confidence intervals
A bottling plant claims that its large bottles contain a mean of 500 ml. A quality inspector takes a random sample of 20 bottles from a production run and measures the contents.
491 words, about 2 min