Books

[Birdhead]

That's cool. Sounds like a lot of fun- and I have to say, the image of dozens of students jumping onto ferries, sprinting into the library on Oahu and the cathing the ferry back, writing esays more or less constantly, is rather amusing.

No sine wave for me, happily. >.< Just did very difficult trig assignment. the trig wasn't hard but the questions were, curse poor question writers all over the country...

"We are philosophical geniuses [sic] who will one day rule the world!"
--Agent M
Ahahahaha, Ahahahaha, Ahahahaha!
Still the Typo Queen

[Rysade]

Hah ha! As for poor questions, can you believe that my calculus exam is multiple choice!? Honestly! With a graphing calculator, all I need is a working knowledge of the functions, and I can ace the thing without trying. Seriously, math is not taken seriously anymore.

Not that I'm complaining TOO much, now...

--Dai Stihó

ha (hä) interj. [echoic] an exclamation variously expressing wonder, surprise, anger, triumph, etc.: repeated (ha-han. the sound of this exclamation or of a laugh
-Webster's Dictionary of the American Language, Second College Edition

[Birdhead]

Well, we have graphics calculators too, but I hate mine WITH A PASSION so I don't use it. It's gathering dust on my dresser as we speak.

Er. It would probably have made that assignment much easier, come to think of it.

Anyway. Multi-choice? MULTI-CHOICE????
What a complete and utter waste of everyone's time. I mean. Multichoice? A friend of mine went to Canada for a year. Halfway-though the year she sat the final exams (and did really well, but that's because school in Canada is apparently two or three years behind ours and, I quote, "I'd SO DONE IT before!!") Ayway, she did the Canadian History Exam. Multichoice. She got like 90%. See? Let me tell you, we do NOT do Canadian history here.

"We are philosophical geniuses [sic] who will one day rule the world!"
--Agent M
Ahahahaha, Ahahahaha, Ahahahaha!
Still the Typo Queen

[Gryphon]

OMG, I'm laughing so hard!

Multiple choice...? Our world is rule by people with issues, not brains. Oh my.

-MaThFrEaK
"Hehehe. You smell funny."
"I love fish and chicken and turkey and ham and squirrels and pork and..."
"Izza mousey!"
~Gryphon~

[Wilf]

In the UK, the goverement has just published a report saying that maths at secondry school level (age 11-18) is at a stage of "meltdown". Shame it has taken them SEVEN YEARS to figure this one out. For me, the turning point came when the head of our maths department at school switched himself to a 4-day week (and thus reduced pay), so he would have enough time to handle all the paper-work. (This was subsequently backed up by realising A-level (age 16-18) maths in 1990 contained most of the stuff I did in my first year at university...
It's going to need something like half of all maths graduates going into secondry school teaching to sort things out. That, and class sizes of 20, maximum. I personally refuse to go into teacing with the current level of paperwork the job produces.

That was something of a rant... but I am seriously annoyed at the goverement (which has been in power since '97) for taking so long just to realise something is wrong, let alone so something about it.

In some thread (I think Great Randomness), I published the results of the International Maths Olympiad, ordered by ocuntry. Does anyone know how Bulgaria (population 8m, average annual income US$1,600) managed to beat the USA (population 290m, aeverage annual income US$34,000)?

"Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right" - Salvor Hadrin, in Isaac Asimov's Foundation

[Rysade]

Originally posted by Skitty:
Multiple choice...? Our world is rule by people with issues, not brains. Oh my.

Ha ha! WOW. Gryphon, you are my new favorite person!

--Dai Stihó
"Our world is rule by people with issues, not brains." - Gryphon
ha (hä) interj. [echoic] an exclamation variously expressing wonder, surprise, anger, triumph, etc.: repeated (ha-han. the sound of this exclamation or of a laugh
-Webster's Dictionary of the American Language, Second College Edition

[meteorite]

I'm not sure. In many countries, beyond a certain level (enough to function in normal society) math is an option. Only people who really want to know trig functions bother taking more mathematics than are needed to balance a checkbook. I don't know if the US is in that category or not, although I remember one of my friends sweating bullets over quadratic equations, which he swore he would never again use.

"Thus is Balance maintained." A Wizard of Earthsea
"Condensing fact from the vapor of nuance." Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash

[Kathy Li]

err... to try and nudge this back on-topic, I just finished The Amazing Journey of Prince Jen and quite enjoyed it, even though I read it immediately after The Iron Ring, and they're essentially the same book in different clothes.

Also found me a used hardcover (bookclub ed.) of Lin Carter's Flashing Swords #5, so I could once again have a copy of "Parting Gifts" on my shelves (I assume my sister has the one I read). It cost a whole $2.50 (including shipping) from an Amazon marketplace seller.

[Tanis]

I just read Sabriel and Lirael and I've just started Abohrsan but I am almost done with it plus I've read Shade's chlidren.

*Many have gone and many have stayed but one thing stays the same: Love and Hate they never go away but they can be beaten- Devin
*Many have come to this place and most have left it but let not their life be a mystery- Devin
*Many have come and gone so we need to leave a ripple before this planet is washed away- Devin
*Many have come and gone but few are here to stay-Devin

[Kathy Li]

Yeah, Garth Nix is great. Loved the Seventh Tower series, as well. But I haven't had a chance to start the Keys to the Kingdom series. Anybody know if it's worth picking up?

[Birdhead]

I read Mister Monday a while ago- it's not bad. Pretty good, actually, but not as good as Sabriel. Anyway, it is good, but I don't think that stretching the concept for seven books will be easy.

"We are philosophical geniuses [sic] who will one day rule the world!"
--Agent M
Ahahahaha, Ahahahaha, Ahahahaha!
Still the Typo Queen

[EWizard11]

Shade's Children? That is one creepy, creepy book. I didn't finish because it gave me nightmare. It gave ME nightmares! I never get nightmares from books! However, I loved Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorson. All fantastic.

I just found out that, since I'm in Algebra 1 and it's a high school course (I'm in seventh grade) we're going to have to take a FINAL. An actual, real final. We have to take what's more or less "practice" finals in 7th and 8th grade. They really count: about as much as two important tests. They cover the whole year. They're supposed to prepare us for real finals in high school. My math teacher said that in addition to the "Big Test" taken at the same time as all our other finals, and covering everything we did from after winter break up until the point, we're going to have to take a final. Ugh, sometimes I hate being good at math.

I'm currently reading the Bromeliad Trilogy by Pratchett. I like it well enough.

*Ella*

Over 25% of human genes are the same as those of a banana.

[Tanis]

Why is everybody here smart? mybe the books gave us utra-smartness or something because I'm in the gifted program at my school and we get to make and program robots which is really cool they are called Lego Mindstorms and there is robotcis compitions check and see if there is something like that for you. You know to take your mind of math.


*Many have gone and many have stayed but one thing stays the same: Love and Hate they never go away but they can be beaten- Devin
*Many have come to this place and most have left it but let not their life be a mystery- Devin
*Many have come and gone so we need to leave a ripple before this planet is washed away- Devin
*Many have come and gone but few are here to stay-Devin

[papercrane]

Oh, poor Ella. Look at it this way: If you didn't take them this year, you'd have to take them another year. And I'm sure they won't be that bad.
...or maybe they will. But I'm sure they won't, um...
I think I'll be quiet now.

The important thing about adventures, thought Mr Bunnsy, was that they shouldn't be so long as to make you miss mealtimes.
-- (Terry Pratchett, The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents)

[Tanis]

teachers always make the test sound worst that it really is you probly breze through it.

*Many have gone and many have stayed but one thing stays the same: Love and Hate they never go away but they can be beaten- Devin
*Many have come to this place and most have left it but let not their life be a mystery- Devin
*Many have come and gone so we need to leave a ripple before this planet is washed away- Devin
*Many have come and gone but few are here to stay-Devin