Student "edition" found at {csi dot journalspace dot com}.

Maybe I shouldn't have started this blog now, not with everything that's been going on.

On the fourth day of the eighth week of classes for the first term, in my Mathematical Methods One class, I discussed determinants, or what my last MM1 class said was the easiest way to find the solution set for systems of equations in three variables of degree one. I don’t know if this current class of mine agreed though. They seemed to have an easier time with the method of substitution and elimination if their reactions to the exercises are any indication.

And since it is a lengthy process even if easy to remember, I gave more than enough time for practicing on the topic after showing several examples. I particularly paid attention to how it made their jobs simpler to have coefficients that were equal to zero (or having at least one of the three equations have only two variables instead of three), and how the three-by-three matrix for the denominator was the same regardless of whether they are solving for x, y or z.

I also discouraged them from substituting the last variable in one of the equations after using determinants on just two. The value they got may work for that equation, but may not for the other two, so they have to check nevertheless.

In my DIFEREQ class afterwards, I gave them their second long exam. This time I gave them nine equations that could be solved by any of the three methods we had discussed in class (separable, homogeneous or exact – some by more than one method) but that they were only required to solve six problems.

I had to discourage one of the students from asking me after he had gotten through one step. It’s bad enough I know him to be a slacker in class. Maybe next time I’ll institute the deduction per question policy he has during exams.

Lastly in my Introduction to Electricity and Magnetism class afterwards I finished chapter five, which not just started the discussion on and gave the equations and units for current I (amperes), current density J (ampere per meter squared), resistance R (ohms) , resistivity rho (ohm-meter), conductivity sigma (mho per meter) and power P (watt).

I also gave them the classic joke where if someone asked them, “What (watt) is the unit of power?” they are supposed to answer, “Correct,” or back in a questioning voice, “Watt?” that would make the other person repeat the question.

After that I assigned them group exercises on the checkpoints from the chapter. And with that lecture is finally caught up with the lab class topics.

The cell lock down protocol will now commence for session 680. Class dismissed.