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Austin Shapiro

Final exam results

Final exam solutions are available; so is the grading rubric (with commentary on common mistakes). The median score was 66.

Final exam scores (under pseudonyms) and grade cutoffs are below the cut. Grades are going into Bear Facts tonight. I’ll respond to grade inquiries by e-mail, but my responses will be slow this coming week (my apologies in advance).

It has been a pleasure teaching you discrete math, and I wish you all well in your future studies!

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Final exam information

Update (Aug 13): I have discovered that final exams cannot be mailed out—they must remain on file in the math department. So, option 1 below is not available. I apologize for the misinformation!

The final exam will be Friday, August 15, from 2:00 to 4:00 in 4 Evans. We’ll start as close to 2:00 as possible. There will be no make-up dates. Thursday’s class will be a review session, and I will hold office hours as normal this week.

I won’t be available on campus after the last day of the course, but here are some ways you can see your exam score and/or the actual graded exam:

  1. By bringing a self-addressed, stamped envelope with you on the day of the final. If you do this, I will mail the exam to you. The envelope should be a large manila envelope with $1.61 postage on it (for any U.S. address).
  2. By using a pseudonym (fake name). I will include a space for you to put a pseudonym on the front cover of the final exam. If you choose to do this, I will publish your exam score on this website under the pseudonym. Your pseudonym must not be identifiable by anyone but yourself.
  3. By visiting the math department office after the term is over. All final exams that are not mailed out will be retained on file in the math department office for one year.

The final exam will cover material from throughout the course, with somewhat greater emphasis on topics not seen in the midterms.

Sample final exams:

Topics covered in Math 55 have varied over the years, hence the “out of bounds” problems above (which refer to terminology or concepts not taught this time around). Here is a list of topics covered in the Spring 2014 course, which is almost identical to this summer’s course coverage.

Good luck in your studies!

Solutions (8.5, 8.6, 7.4, 8.4)

Graded: 8.5 #14, 8.6 #10

(It was especially hard to choose problems to be graded, because of the diversity of topics in this assignment. Although no problems from 7.4 or 8.4 are graded, this is not meant to signal that those topics are less important! Linearity of expectation and generating functions will almost certainly appear on the final.)

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Review problems for Midterm #2

Here are the review problems from Thursday’s class.

I’ve written up brief summaries of the solutions (note: these are a rush job and should not be taken as the level of exposition that would be appropriate on homework or a test). The solutions are in white text below; select with the mouse to view. This is so that you can read one solution at a time without having the rest spoiled for you. The solutions to #18, 26, and 27 are absent for now due to constraints on my time.

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Midterm 2 information

The second midterm will be this Friday, August 1, from 2:00 to 4:00 in 4 Evans. We’ll start as close to 2:00 as possible. The midterm is designed to take about 1 hour.

As before, the only items you may bring are pens/pencils, erasers, and pencil sharpeners. Paper will be provided.

This midterm will cover sections 4.4, 5.1-5.3, 6.1-6.5, 7.1-7.4, and 8.1. You may need to use skills and knowledge developed in the earlier sections as well.

We’ll use Thursday’s class for review, with particular emphasis on counting, combinatorial proofs, and strong induction (as some of you have requested). You are welcome to make additional requests for coverage! Also, I have office hours after class on Wednesday and before class on Friday, as usual.

Sample midterms:

Good luck studying!