\(
\def\bbN{{\mathbb N}}
\def\bbQ{{\mathbb Q}}
\def\bbR{{\mathbb R}}
\def\bbZ{{\mathbb Z}}
\def\calT{{\mathcal T}}
\def\Lim{{\operatorname{Lim}}}
\)
Final Exam
Before.
Our one and only final exam is coming up!
The material is everything covered in class, excluding the last tutorials.
At the time of the writing of these notes I have not yet written the exam yet, so even if
I wanted to, I cannot tell you what's in it. Yet here's how I usually plan my exams:
- I look at old exams that I wrote, such as the one at http://drorbn.net/index.php?title=10-327/Final_Exam,
to get inspired. I almost never look at exams written by others.
- I usually put in some questions or parts of questions that involve repeating class material almost verbatim:
"prove theorem X as it was proven in class". The critics would say that this makes the exam, or a part of the
exam, about memorization rather than understanding. That's nonsense. There are so many theorems and lemmas
and details (and so many of them were skipped yet you are expected to be able to complete them), that there is no
way to "memorize" everything without making sense of it first. And making sense of it is what's called
"understanding".
- I usually put in something from the homework and maybe something that was left for you to complete, to give
you an incentive to do the homework and to think about class outside of class time.
- I usually put in a bit of fresh exercises, as a further test of understanding.
There will be pre-final office hours as follows: |
Warning. The dates and
times below, except for the final exam itself, are subject to last-minute
changes. Check again before you go!
|
- On Thursday December 6 from 2:30-3:30, with me at or next to my office, Bahen 6178, and at http://drorbn.net/vchat.
- On Thursday December 13 from 2:30-3:30, with me at or next to my office, Bahen 6178, and at http://drorbn.net/vchat.
- On Monday December 17 from 2-5, with me at or next to my office, Bahen 6178, and at http://drorbn.net/vchat.
- On Tuesday December 18 from 2-5 with Jamal Kawach at either the round lounge area on the sixth floor
of the Bahen building, or at the small lounge area next to my office, Bahen 6178.
- On Wednesday December 19 from 10-1, with me at or next to my office,
Bahen 6178, or possibly at the round lounge area on the sixth floor of
the Bahen building.
Yet the main studying effort should be yours. When I was a student my
technique was "make sure that I understand every single bit of class
material and de-emphasize everything else". "Every single bit" means
just that, and I took it seriously. "Understand" means "have a mental
image of what is going on, know why things are done the way they are
done". De-emphasizing everything else was because I was a bum and I
valued ice cream more (I still am and I still do). It is not for me to
tell you how you should study, though.
HW and TT pick up. All uncollected HW assignments and term tests will be available for pick up at all office hours listed
above, except HW9, which will only be available starting December 13.
During.
The exam took place on Wednesday December 19 at 7-10PM
(late evening!) at GB405. See it here!
After.
64 students took the exam. The results so far, before appeals, are (median underlined):
100 100 99 99 98 97 97 96
96 94 94 94 94 93 91 91
91 90 89 88 87 87 84 82
81 79 78 75 75 72 72 71
70 65 64 64 63 62 62 59
56 56 56 51 51 49 46 45
44 43 41 39 39 38 37 37
36 35 32 31 28 22 8 8
The overall marks for the class, before appeals and excluding people who missed the final, are (median underlined):
100 99 98 97 97 95 95 95
95 95 95 95 94 93 92 90
90 90 89 88 88 87 86 86
85 85 82 80 78 75 71 69
69 68 65 65 64 64 64 64
63 62 61 59 59 58 58 57
54 53 52 51 50 50 50 47
46 44 44 43 39 38 20 12