Friends don't let friends find square roots by hand!

[Xist]

So, I am taking a statistics class on-line. I just figure out the homework, which I am allowed to do over and over, and then take the quizzes. It sounds simple, but this takes me a ton of time! We are also required to print out a page every week, complete it by hand, and upload it. Somehow I forgot last week, so I was calculating standard deviation and related numbers by hand, including finding square roots. From the syllabus:



My assignment:



So, not only would I have received full credit had I done that on-time, but I would have saved tons of time doing the one that was due!

That was how I spent my Saturday night!

[niky]

I would've given you an extra 2 points just for style.

[JasonG]

Looks like fun to me :shrug:
Of course I get bored at night and start doing trig so you're talking to the wrong crowd here.

[Xist]

I have been surprised to find people that knew how to find the square root by hand, although I would probably have more difficultly this weekend at drill. I thought that I was bright taking pre-calculus my senior year of high school, but I was the only senior in the class. When I went to college, they told me to take college pre-calculus. It was a few years before I decided to take calculus, so I took pre-calculus a third time. It was so easy for me that I did the homework during class, before the instructor explained the material or made the assignment.

However, calculus...

I checked all of my Saturday-night math on the computer and I kept making small mistakes, which seems characteristic of my life--I get distracted and lose track of what I am doing.

I felt like I understood calculus, but when I spent four hours each night on homework and I never finished because almost every time that I checked my work I had the wrong answer, I gave up and changed my major. Saturday night, I was frustrated because I could not imagine needing to do this math by hand--I have three laptops, two calculators, and a phone, and if I really needed to, I could purchase or borrow another calculator.

However, I realized that as a computer programmer, I would have done math by computer, not by hand. I am inclined to think that a bachelor's in computer programming would have been more useful than one in Spanish, and here I was going through that all over again.

It was completely by random that I received a handout explaining how to find square roots by hand. I thought that it was brilliant. I still have it, but I was never taught how by a math teacher.

I found many square roots by hand, in my free time.

However, the issue was timing. I have three tests this week. Somehow I earned an 97.49% on my statistics test.

Anyone have any good statistics jokes about that?

I really wanted to start studying on Saturday, instead of doing math by hand, only to be told by the professor that I could use a calculator.

However, I wonder if the professor made me an exception to his no-exception rule by giving me half credit, just because of all of my hard work.

[jamesqf]

Hummm... Do you get extra points if you point out that the instructor doesn't know how to use apostrophes properly?

[Xist]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Hummm... Do you get extra points if you point out that the instructor doesn't know how to use apostrophes properly?

I often feel like going all "Eats, shoots, and leaves" on many of my professors. The other one kindly offering us the opportunity to cultivate a panic attack and fail a test is horrible with apostrophes! Many people use them when they shouldn't, but not when she should, but this one always puts a space before and after them.

She shouldn ' t do that!

[Gealii]

Originally Posted by Xist

I felt like I understood calculus, but when I spent four hours each night on homework and I never finished because almost every time that I checked my work I had the wrong answer, I gave up and changed my major. Saturday night, I was frustrated because I could not imagine needing to do this math by hand--I have three laptops, two calculators, and a phone, and if I really needed to, I could purchase or borrow another calculator.

However, I realized that as a computer programmer, I would have done math by computer, not by hand. I am inclined to think that a bachelor's in computer programming would have been more useful than one in Spanish, and here I was going through that all over again.

Dam your the same way, i was going for computer science (requires a minor in math at my school), i was always good at math til calc. gave up changed majors to IT told my prof that and he raised my grade 30% to pass the class

I think the same way if i always have a computer by my side in the age of smartphones why do i need to remember everything

[Cobb]

I was a fan of P and S values.

I took computer classes from home, but did math and such in class. We had to use a ti83 calculator and had to clear the memory before any tests. I had memorized formulas and cheat programs written and would spend 5 minute programming the calc so I could ace the tests. The only down side is our showing the work was more important than the correct answer.

On another note we had a writing class that deducted a letter grade for each day an assignment was late, plus the prof said she doesnt give As. I did everything a day late but got nothing but B's.

[Xist]

I took a programming class ten years ago at the community college and halfway through, my program would not compile. I could not figure out what was wrong, so I asked my instructor, who said that she did not know--without even looking at my program, I have always had friends who were good with computers, but they did not have enough experience to help me. I tried finding help on-line, but I could not find any useful help. I ended up submitting the program anyway, even though any program that did not compile automatically lost half of the points.

None of my programs for the rest of the semester would compile and the instructor still would not help me.

Somehow, I thought that I would do well enough on the other parts of the class to earn a C for the semester. The final was two parts and I earned a B on the written part, but I could not make my program compile. I told my instructor "You would not help me before and I never figured out what was wrong. I am having the same problem right now. Will you please help me?"

She refused, so I walked out.

[Cobb]

It really pays to research your profs since you are paying for the service.

In econ we had a prof tell us to remember a fraction or division table. Think he called it ala-kay-parks? I cant find it online, but here is another chart worth remembering that can help with square roots and such.