The Math Studies Project
for Internal Assessment
A good project should be able to be
followed by a non-mathematician and be
self explanatory all the way through.
Length
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The project does not have a word limit. It is the
quality of the mathematics and the processes
used and described that is important, rather
than the number of words written.
Commitment
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The project is a substantial piece of work
(counts for 20% of the final IB grade)
The project should demonstrate a commitment
of time and effort by the student
Choice of Topic
The choice of topic must give students
sufficient scope to demonstrate their
mathematical ability.
Statistical
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Chi-Squared test for Independence
Correlation/Linear regression
Student ‘t’ test
Spearman’s rank order correlation
Choice of Topic
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Algebraic Modelling
Quadratic
 Exponential
 Trigonometric
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Calculus
i.
Optimization Problems
ii.
Modelling
Choice of Topic
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Number and algebra
i
Sequences and series
ii
Linear programming
Sets, Logic and Probability
i
Venn diagrams
ii
Probabilities
Financial Mathematics
Title page
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The Project must have a clear title
Candidate’s name
Candidate’s number
Date
Subject
Teacher’s Name
Table of contents
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Page numbering where each part of the project
can be found
A: Introduction
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Task:
What is the aim of the project?
The task must focus on a distinct objective with a clear
hypothesis or direction
The task must be clearly stated
Plan:
What must be done to achieve this aim?
Include as much detail as is necessary to be clear
Include a description of method of data collection
including any sampling techniques, this will be useful
for validity
Include a description of the mathematical processes to
be used and the reason for choosing these processes
B: Information / Measurement
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The information/measurements collected may come from a
survey, internet, calculation, etc
The information/measurements must be sufficient in quantity
When the information/measurements is to be split, as in the chi
squared test, more than 50 pieces of data is necessary to avoid
small expected values, rendering the test invalid.
The information/measurements must be relevant
The information/measurements must be organised
The information/measurements should be reorganised each
time, to suit calculations being done eg. Male, female categories
If a questionnaire is used then include this in the project
A questionnaire should be designed to collect multidimensional
mathematical data
Raw data must be included to determine the accuracy of
calculations
C: Mathematical Processes
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Always include some relevant simple math processes
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What is the mathematical process used? Explanation of
mathematical technique
Why is this particular procedure useful? Relevance/validity of
mathematical technique
Always state formulae used and do one calculation by hand.
The GDC can be used to perform further similar calculations
Always check the accuracy of your results
Interpret results/draw conclusions from the results of the
calculations
(Standard deviation is often calculated but not used or
commented on.)
C: Mathematical Processes
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Apply relevant sophisticated processes as thoroughly as for
simple process.
 Interpret results/draw conclusions from the results of the
calculations
 Comment on validity of results
 Check the accuracy of the results
For Chi-squared tests to be valid:
 Frequencies must be used, not raw data or percentages
 No more than 20% of the expected cells should have a
number less than 5
 No expected cells should have a number less than 1
For Linear correlation
 There is no point in finding the correlation coefficient or
regression line if the scatter graph shows that there is no
correlation
D: Interpretation of results
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Always give a thorough and detailed analysis and
discussion of results
E: Validity
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Validity of mathematical processes used
Validity of results obtained from these processes
F: Structure and Communication
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The project should include the discussion in the
body of the work
Appropriate mathematical language should
always be used
The project should be presented correctly and in
a systematic manner.
All sources should be acknowledged
Include website addresses in bibliography
Include raw data in body of document or in
appendix
Conclusion
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Did the data and calculations support your task?
Discuss limitations in its applicability within the
project.
Scope for improvement /extension of the
project
Bibliography
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State websites
Footnotes as necessary
Other sources of information
Appendices
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Raw data collected can be placed here