Three Test Tuesday

Fortunately, it was last week and not today because I have been in a semi-sleep-deprived state of incompetence today. I meant to go to sleep early yesterday but didn't manage to do so until after midnight. (For instance, I nicked my leg shaving this morning, which doesn't sound too bad until you realize I nicked the leg I had not yet attempted to shave. What, was I flailing around with my razor without knowing it?)

But I do now have the grades back from the exams.

Marketing: I made a strategic decision to do the absolute minimum of studying I thought would be consistent with getting an A. I made a 94. I do not have to take the final (which is optional for replacing one exam). My only remaining thing for the class is the 7 minute presentation on Thursday. I currently have a 91% in the class - I mean, a 91% even without showing up for the presentation and hence having a 0 for an assignment that counts as 9% of my grade. So, I have this one in the bag, unless my group does so poorly that we get negative points.

Linear Algebra: I got a 95/104, which is better than it sounds because the grades do not correspond to 90% = A, etc. I only got half credit on one (of 4) proof that I didn't really figure out how to do; I got part of the way there and blanked. (I was something like the 4th to last person to leave the room, as is usual for that class, with only 5 minutes left. The professor always gives us enough work that you have to make continuous progress to actually finish. Most people abandon early, while I always keep going in hopes that I will get a flash of insight.) I also lost a couple points elsewhere on proofs where I left a little something out.

I was amused when we reviewed the exam that I missed the obvious approach to one proof because I did not think of the simple way two things were related. Instead, I followed my usual default process of "If I can link this to the Invertible Matrix Theorem (aka The Theorem of a Thousand Parts), I am golden" because I can pretty much prove any part of that from any other part. It worked, but it was needlessly complex. I admit that I am sort of perversely proud of myself for solving the problem while not taking advantage of the most straightforwardly clear aspects of the conepts involved (null space and eigenvalues). It's like I subconsciously presented myself with a more difficult thing to solve.

Statistics: Of course the professor reports the mean and median grades (both around 72). Then he gets ready to write down the maximum grade on the board, pauses dramatically, and says "Does anyone have a guess?" He writes down 100 to mass groaning. At this moment, I know that I have finally not made a bone-headed error like thinking "less than 4" = "4" on the exam. I had come so close on the other two tests that I was super chuffed to see the 100 Perfect written on the back page.