Week #17

. . . . . . . . . . EXAMS ARE NOW READY . . . . . . . . . . SEE LIST . . . . . . . . . .

The final along with the answer key has been posted.

Here's how to find your final exam grade. Your Social Security Number is divided by 100,000 and then rounded to the nearest 1. For example, if your number is 145-56-3908, you'd get 145,563,908/100,000 = 1,455.63908, and then round this to the nearest 1, to give a final number 1,456. Let say this person got a 94% on the exam, you'd just look in the table below to find 1456=94.

0918=29
5638=34
1419=47
1418=51
1501=61
1391=62
1567=64
1408=69
8880=70
1551=73
1501=73
8880=74
1490=76
9000=89
1491=90
1409=90
1420=90
9000=90
1461=90
1418=92
1388=97
1361=100

(BTW, the Social Security link is somewhat random, I Googled it.)

Week #16

Grades will be determined soon, and I'll post the final along with the answer key on Monday, sometime after 10 a.m..

The blog will stay up and running for eternity, well, as long as Google doesn't renege on their initial promise of free service. However, I've had many free things thrown my way, and then I was hooked into paying dearly later on. Take home message: better take any files you want before Google starts charging for access.

The pdf files actually reside on a Linux server on the ECC campus, but there's no guarantee that will remain up and running either. You might want to download the quizzes and exams, along with the answer keys, for your own use at a later time. I think, in total, you got a fairly broad picture of the main ideas of introductory calculus. The book is really where everyone should direct their review (study) process towards, especially if you plan to study mathematics further.

I like the blog idea though and I hope you all found it somewhat helpful, however, I welcome your comments (rants) as to how you'd improve it. I hope that one day I'll be able to run a course entirely from a blog.


If you think you're in trouble of not passing the course, you should stop by my office (email or phone okay) and we can discuss getting an "I" for the course. The "I" is a temporary grade that will eventually be replaced with a more formal grade once you show proficiency in the subject.

Week #15

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. . . . . . . . . . THIS IS NOT A TEST . . . . . . . . . . EMERGENCY JURY BROADCAST SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT . . . . . . . . . . RON BANNON HAS BEEN EXCUSED FROM JURY DUTY . . . . . . . . . . CLASS WILL BE HELD ON WEDNESDAY . . . . . . . . . .
Make sure you download the newest answer key (awaiting one student who has not handed in the exam yet) and the final format guide, all are in the sidebar. Oh, and don't forget to do the last homework assignment! Furthermore, some of you guys forgot to hand in Quiz #10, so the new deadline is 8:30 a.m. December 15, 2004.

I'm furiously grading many exams. This week I tested five sections of students: three sections of MTH-116, two sections of MTH-092, but not your exams due to a completely inept judicial system. I really don't mind serving on a jury, but I just served and I asked politely (many times) to be excused. It's maddening, but people that work in government are just like little Kims (the Korean dictator, not the Bodacious Lil' Kim, although they sure would make a nice couple and the world would be a lot safer too.) and have virtually no respect for anyone, not even themselves.

I'm sure many of you are cheering the government at this point, especially the fact that they forced me to give you guys today's scheduled exam as a take-home instead. However, you need to keep in mind that this exam is given to you on an honor system (I affirm that I belong to the honorable community of students at Essex County College. I will not lie, cheat or steal, nor will I tolerate those who do.) and I know that's what I'll be told on Monday if I get picked as a juror.

If you've ever served on a jury, you'll probably know how un-honorable some people are. Civility, like honor is the glue that keeps us human.

Week #14

Google has finally indexed this blog. Yes, the search box in the above left-hand corner will now return results unique to this blog's URL . . . give it a try.

Breaking news, if you're looking for work, take a look at these pdf's.

• The email I received.
• Attached qualifications.
• Attached PowerPoint slide.

Okay, the quiz has been graded and I'm surprised with the results, personally I was expecting better scores, but maybe I'm being overly tough in the grading. In any case, I welcome your comments and suggestions. As you all know, exam number two is scheduled for the tenth of December and we'll talk more about the format next week. Then, of course, is the final which will be given on the last Friday (or Monday) of the semester.

Fundamental Theorem of Calculus will be the next topic. For those planning on moving forward in mathematics, you'll need to read the text to get a better picture of what's going on. But for most, you'll just want to integrate (those damn sums we're doing in class) and know why it is useful. As far as I am concerned, that 100% okay.

Week #13

A new extra credit problem has been posted and is worth 10 points towards your quiz grades. It's due on Monday, November 22 29, 2004 at 8:30 a.m..

Yes, you can use your black obelisk (i.e. your calculator.), but only after you've enjoyed some fire cooked meat (sincere apology to any vegetarians, I respect you more than you'll ever know.).

Although I'd rate Kubrick's adaption of Clark's literary masterpiece one of the finest movies ever made, most see it as a complete and utter bore. However, I think many of you might find the beginning scenes quite humorous, especially after you see how our early ancestors were able to excel after being visited by the black obelisk -- again, we need to thank Mr. Lin for holding up the black obelisk in class, and then seeing others unearth their own personal versions of the black obelisk. What's especially weird about 2001: A Space Odyssey, is that modern man has lost control of his tools, whereas our early ancestors were able to use them quite effectively. So here goes my stern warning -- LEARN YOUR TOOLS OR THEY WILL BE TAKEN FROM YOU! Watch the movie and see how the human-designed tools worked against their human designers.

In any case, enjoy the Thanksgiving break.

Week #12

"God made the integers, and all the rest is the work of man." -- Leopold Kronecker (1823-1891)

I once thought that too, but I was then exposed to optimization problems where the solution set was restricted to the integers. As you know our solutions are not restricted to the integers, but are instead allowed to be any physically reasonably real number. However, in real optimization problems it is often unrealistic to talk about solutions that are not integers. For example, when FedEx is buying planes to ship items they cannot purchase 1.3 planes. So, some may reason that they should just round off. Not so. Try this simple problem (pre-calc, no calculus involved):

Maximize:
x₁ + 0.64x₂
Subject to the following constraints:
50x₁ + 31x₂ <= 250
3x₁ - 2x₂ >= -4
x₁, x₂ >=0

The solution when x is not restricted to the integers is (376/193, 950/193), but if we have to restrict x to integer values only, the solution is (5, 0) which is a long way off from (376/193, 950/193).

What's the point? Don't think you can willy nilly round to get answers that are integers!

Week #11

Please, everyone should pay careful attention to the fire-alarm. When it sounds you should exit the building. I know many of you were surprised that I asked you to leave the room, but you should leave the room no matter what. And keep this in mind, on 9/11 people made it to the ground level and then returned to their offices because they were told to do so. YOU NEED TO USE YOUR HEAD! When an alarm goes off you should only assume that there's a fire (or worse) and leave the building.


Here's the homework that most missed due to the early exit.

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Essex County Job Fair -- Wednesday, November 17, 2004 -- ECC's 4th Floor Multi Purpose Room -- 12:00 noon until 3:00 p.m
The Career Resource Center, Training, Inc. and Regional Business Partnership are sponsoring an Essex County Job Fair at Essex County College. They expect to have more than thirty companies and employment agencies represented. Flyers and banners have been posted around the buildings.

It is very important, if you decide to attend, that you dress appropriately and have a presentable resume. The job fair is Wednesday, November 17, 2004 in the 4th Floor Multi Purpose Room from 12:00 noon until 3:00 p.m..

There's a moment in everyone's life where they become aware that life is just plain peculiar, but for most this passes with time, and normalcy usually returns. As one of my teachers once lamented: "You'll forget how utterly peculiar this stuff is, but you'll be better off for trying to learn it." In any case, I think you'll come to realize that studying mathematics may have no application to your success or failure in life, but you'll become indelibly stained by thinking about it. Here's hoping that the stain of mathematical thought will blend over time, and that you will not lose sight of other, equally important areas of thought.

Wow, if you got this far I am glad. Also, since you seem to be reading along, I want to again encourage people to stop by and discuss their grades, especially if you got a warning. I hate sending out warnings, but ECC really makes a big effort to do so. Please don’t despair!