tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15868947.post37553202373445500..comments2023-10-29T06:41:23.910-07:00Comments on Halfway There: I've half a mindZenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09058127284297728552noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15868947.post-39774746956926882722012-01-30T19:07:31.041-08:002012-01-30T19:07:31.041-08:00I'm not so sure the person who wrote 2/3 = 0.6...I'm not so sure the person who wrote 2/3 = 0.67 used their calculator. I can't think of a calculator that would display only two digits after the decimal point, unless you specifically ask it to (which seems unlikely).<br /><br />Perhaps this student has been trained by his or her calculator to think of common fractions in terms of decimal approximations. (0.67*40 = 40.2 was surely done by calculator though.)RichShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07008657063110686686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15868947.post-48184928892631655152012-01-29T07:23:58.762-08:002012-01-29T07:23:58.762-08:00Kathie: Yeah, the syllabus has language about reas...Kathie: Yeah, the syllabus has language about reasoning ("recognize and explain" what they're doing!).<br /><br />Erik: You are correct: I really need to give my algebra students more information if I expect them to spontaneously generate the tools of multivariate calculus (with extra points for reinventing the notation!).Zenohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09058127284297728552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15868947.post-87772737418421379442012-01-29T00:38:10.551-08:002012-01-29T00:38:10.551-08:00Since you failed to provide the equation for the h...Since you failed to provide the equation for the hemisphere, they would have to fall back to doing a triple integral over x, y, and z to compute the volume of an arbitrary shape. Unfortunately, it's still not solvable because you failed to specify which half of the sphere the hemisphere was taken from, and thus the appropriate intervals for the integrals are unknown.Eriknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15868947.post-56922006743066922282012-01-28T20:18:45.821-08:002012-01-28T20:18:45.821-08:00"Yes, but did you tell them that on the first..."Yes, but did you tell them that on the first day, so they had a chance to drop this abysmally difficult and unfair class?"<br /><br />But did you put it in the course syllabus??? (The war stories my husband could tell...)Kathienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15868947.post-56123262592417207612012-01-28T19:30:44.184-08:002012-01-28T19:30:44.184-08:00Oh my yes, approximately twice a day for two weeks...Oh my yes, approximately twice a day for two weeks, if I recall correctly. (Maybe more often than that. I tend to repeat key ideas.)Zenohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09058127284297728552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15868947.post-90806168123725256822012-01-28T19:24:05.703-08:002012-01-28T19:24:05.703-08:00I patiently explained: “I have higher expectations...<i>I patiently explained: “I have higher expectations of my students than merely plugging mindlessly into formulas. I want my students to think about what they're doing. This is not just a plug-in and grind class. Sorry.”</i><br /><br />Yes, but did you tell them that on the first day, so they had a chance to drop this abysmally difficult and unfair class?The Ridger, FCDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01538111197270563075noreply@blogger.com