Discovering Mathematics

Overview

The Discovering Mathematics  programme offered by The Open University UK will help you to integrate mathematical ideas into your everyday thinking and build your confidence in using and learning mathematics. 

You’ll cover statistical, graphical, algebraic, trigonometric and numerical concepts and techniques, and be introduced to mathematical modelling. Formal calculus is not included and you are not expected to have any previous knowledge of algebra. 

The skills introduced will be ideal if you plan to study more mathematics modules, such as Essential mathematics. It is also suitable for users of mathematics in other areas, such as computing, science, technology, social science, humanities, business and education.

What you will study

In order to study this module successfully you should expect to be actively doing mathematics, rather than just reading it. You will also be encouraged to develop skills in interpreting and explaining mathematics, and this aspect will be assessed in some of the assignment questions.

Providing you have the appropriate background knowledge, you should expect to study for about eight hours a week. Many of the topics covered in the module depend on your understanding of topics in earlier units. So, if you have not fully understood earlier material, you may find later material more difficult and time consuming. This is particularly true of graphs, formulas and algebra. Naturally, the study time required for the module tends to increase before an assignment deadline.