Monthly Archives: April 2013

URGENT: EXAM #3 POSTPONED UNTIL NEXT TUESDAY

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The short version:  Exam #3, which was scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday, 4/25), is now postponed until next Tuesday, 4/30.

The long version:  My daughter Sierra is undergoing surgery on Tuesday and so I will not be in class (luckily it is not a major operation, just a followup to a prior procedure, but she will be under full anesthesia and will stay in the hospital all day).  It makes more sense to have the sub give the exam, rather than cover new material.  Therefore, tomorrow in class I will be covering new material (which will not be on the exam).  I do have office hours tomorrow from 11:30 – 12:30 (in N707), and I will do my best to come to class a few minutes early and answer questions.  For those of you who requested additional time to study, you are in luck!

My apologies for the very late notice – we weren’t informed of the surgery date until today.

-Mr. Reitz

WeBWorK #11

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Hi everyone,

WeBWorK assignment #11, which is based on the material covered in class today (“sample means”), is now available.  It will be due next Tuesday evening, 4/30/13.  Please do not work on it until after the exam on Thursday.  Indeed, it would be best if you did not even read this message until after the exam.  Best of luck with your studying.

– Mr. Reitz

Update on WeBWorK #10

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I have rewritten the WeBWorK #10 assignment – the problems are based on section 5.5 (which we studied on Thursday), and are much more similar to what will be on the exam next week.  The assignment is now available, and is due on Tuesday night at midnight.  Don’t hesitate to write if you have questions.

Take care,
Mr. Reitz

Class Updates: WeBWorK, Exam #3, my black eye

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A few important items:

  1. Yes, I was indeed in a bike accident today.  I was lucky and walked away with a few scrapes, 3 stitches and a black eye.  You can check out the damage on Thursday.  Here is card that my almost-4-year-old daughter made for me – she says it is a picture of “funny smiling people, to make you laugh,” but I swear the one on the right looks just like me sailing through the air over my bicycle.
  2. The deadline for WeBWorK #9 has been extended to this Thursday, April 18th, at midnight.
  3. WeBWorK #10 is ON HOLD for now — the deadline and problems may be changed.  Don’t work on it for now.  I’ll give you an update on Thursday.
  4. The third exam, scheduled to take place next Tuesday, is postponed by one class day.  The new date for the third exam is next Thursday, April 25.  A review sheet is available on the Handouts page, and will be distributed in class this Thursday.

Take care, and be safe,
– Mr. Reitz

WeBWorK #9 UPDATE

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UPDATE MONDAY 4/15/13:  I found that for some (but not all) students, problem #8 was also having similar trouble.  It is fixed, as of 8:23pm.

Hi everyone,

It was pointed out in class today that some of the problems in WeBWorK #9 were being marked incorrect, even if you follow exactly the steps described in class.  I have tracked down the source of the error, and updated a number of problems in the assignment — they should all be working properly now.

Unless further problems are discovered, the due date for WeBWorK #9 will remain next Tuesday, April 16, at midnight.

If you believe that a problem is still not working correctly (that is, you think your answer is right but WeBWorK is not accepting it) please send me an email and let me know.

– Mr. Reitz

ps.  If you’re interested (GEEK ALERT), the errors arose because we use a table to find z / probability, and the table is limited in the number of decimals it will provide.  Solving these problems on a calculator gives more decimals of accuracy (but requires a more specialized calculator, such as a graphing calculator)

OpenLab #9: Reflecting on the class so far

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Every college class is planned with certain goals in mind – to convey ideas, to encourage certain kinds of thinking, to provide opportunities for learning, for exploration, for practice.  A typical plan consists of a mix of different activities, both in and out of class, and hopefully each activity contributes to achieving the goals of the class.  In this assignment, I am going to ask you to think about some of the different things we do for this class and reflect on their effectiveness.

Some of the activities that make up this class are listed below.  This list is not comprehensive (it may be missing things!), and includes both in-class and out-of-class activities.

Partial list of class activities:

  • lectures
  • webwork assignments
  • openlab assignments
  • exams
  • answering questions at the board (often at the start of class)
  • doing examples on the board (often during the course of a lecture)
  • asking/answering questions on the OpenLab
  • working on problems individually during class
  • group work during class
  • asking/answering questions by email
  • office hours

Assignment (Due Thursday, April 18th, 2:30pm).  Respond to at least two of the following questions (1 or 2 sentences each).  Feel free to discuss activities that are not listed above, if you wish.

  1. What activities have been most useful to you in preparing for exams? Why?
  2. What activities have been most useful to you in making connections between the class material and other areas of your life? Why?
  3. What activities have been most useful in building community in our class (creating a comfortable atmosphere, getting to know your fellow students, building trust)? Why?
  4. Are there any activities that you would like to spend more time on (this includes activities that are not on the list, but you think should be included)? Explain?

OpenLab #8: Take a break, read a book

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You have no OpenLab assignment this weekend.  If you wish, you can earn a little extra credit by responding to the following.

Extra Credit (due Thursday, April 11, 2:30pm)  Hey, what are you reading?  Tell me one book you like, and very briefly why you like it.  It can be something you read recently, or an all-time favorite.  It can be serious or fun, something you read to pass the time, or in school, or to improve yourself, or for some other reason.  Any kind of book is fine — literature, science fiction, romance, nonfiction, graphic novels, whatever.  Be sure to include the author and title, and a link if possible.

I just finished reading Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.  It was fun and fast-paced, just the thing for passing the time on the subway.  I liked the gaming theme,  the dystopian future sci-fi setting, and the unending references to 1980’s culture (that’s when I was in high school).  Fun!