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[Helgoland]

-snip-

Hence the 'get it right consistently', which includes changing the equations. And I said 'barring using a calculator', as in 'If you use a calculator, you should show your working'

But not enforcing text-based answers causes people to not learn text-based answering. And not learning text-based answering imparts a ton less experience at these problems. And not having experience greatly diminishes your performance on the test. Do you see where I'm going with this? The text-basedness is not there for the talented people, it's there to help the untalented help themselves (and even the talented can still benefit from such experience, if only for the added sense of achievement that you need to transit to effort-based ability before your talent runs out).

I... ah...

DON'T see where you're going with this. Text-basedness... No. I don't see that. I mean, obviously, TEACH the techniques and things, make sure people understand them, and encourage them to use it just in case they screw up, so they can see their mistake, but I don't think they should enforce having to write down the techniques. Again, barring calculator tests.

This here is exactly what's happening. Text-basedness makes sure that the testees know that their understanding is what is being tested, not their ability to enter numbers into a formula. Knowing that their understanding is being tested forces them to understand the material instead of simply memorizing a formula and hoping it's the correct one when they actually use it. It shows them that mathematics is about understanding, not about formulas. And as soon as they properly have the ability to understand, they're basically set for life in maths.

Also, "understanding" is a weird word now.

Oy, just make them write down the intermediate steps! Keeps them on their toes just as well, and avoids the whole sluggishness of language when it comes to mathematics.
(Also, that sum n*b^n thing comes out to something like (b/(1-b))^2, right? To show the intermediate steps:
sum n*b^n= sum (b^n + b^n + ... + b^n) = (sum b^n)(sum b^i) = (b/(1-b))^2

[Lich180]

That stats class I mentioned DID require us to use the equations and learn them, but only before we used the calculator method. And we did have to do some of the simpler stats questions on our tests by hand with no calculator.

Not that I remember any of it anymore :p

[Remalle]

That feeling when you finish a really hard exam half an hour early while everyone's still writing, and you're not sure if you missed something important... that happened to me this morning.

[GiglameshDespair]

That feeling when you finish a really hard exam half an hour early while everyone's still writing, and you're not sure if you missed something important... that happened to me this morning.

When you found it easy.. too easy, and you're not sure whether it's just because you've fundamentally missed something important or it just was simple, especially when people afterwards talk about how difficult it was. I know that feel, bro.

[MagmaMcFry]

(Also, that sum n*b^n thing comes out to something like (b/(1-b))^2, right? To show the intermediate steps:
sum n*b^n= sum (b^n + b^n + ... + b^n) = (sum b^n)(sum b^i) = (b/(1-b))^2

Careful about your sum indices in that double sum. You sum the b^n from n=1, but you sum the b^i from i=0, which gives 1/(1-b) instead of b/(1-b). But yes, that's how I would solve this too.

[Helgoland]

That feeling when you finish a really hard exam half an hour early while everyone's still writing, and you're not sure if you missed something important... that happened to me this morning.

When you found it easy.. too easy, and you're not sure whether it's just because you've fundamentally missed something important or it just was simple, especially when people afterwards talk about how difficult it was. I know that feel, bro.

Happened to me in the most important exam of my whole schooltime. Got the best grade possible

[Jopax]

That happens to me almost all the time. I think it's me writing rather fast and not being willing to question everything I write. Because if I did that I'd never be able to finish a test, and I'd end up wracking my nerves over it being correct or not. This way I write what I know and hope for the best.

[Flying Dice]

That gets me quite a bit as well. I used to be that guy who'd finish twenty minutes ahead of everyone else and then pretend to recheck his answers until someone else turned in their exam to avoid the awkwardness. Then I stopped caring about what other people thought about me (in that context).

[Xantalos]

Everyone hated me for completing my exams early and then falling asleep at my desk.
Hehehehehe.

[mastahcheese]

Everyone hated me for completing my exams early and then falling asleep at my desk.
Hehehehehe.

I know them feels, bro.

[Korbac]

Everyone hated me for completing my exams early and then falling asleep at my desk.
Hehehehehe.

I still do that.

I don't get much sleep

[IronTomato]

You know something's wrong when you can listen to music like Chariots of Fire at night and can't fall asleep to it, but then you listen to this and go out like a light.

That is exactly what happened to me last night.

[IronTomato]

You know something's wrong when you can listen to music like Chariots of Fire at night and can't fall asleep to it, but then you listen to this and go out like a light.

That is exactly what happened to me last night.

I see your comment.

I do too.

[Loud Whispers]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The spam is become self-aware again. And omnicidal.

[BlackFlyme]

I've been trying to study for my exam tomorrow.

Since I never learned much of anything in that class from my teacher's "lectures" I went online to view the study notes that should have been on my school's website.

My teacher didn't even post half of them. The ones that are there are mostly incomplete.