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.

In the first meeting for the fifth week of classes, my students in Computer Systems Organization lecture had their first test.

There were just four items. I gave three functions of three variables each, then one function of four variables.

Then I switched the variables around, but basically maintaining still the same answer, to make it appear like I had several sets of different questions. This involved some find and replace in the document.

To be able to identify the “set” I also required them to solve for the simplification of the complement of the one of the first three functions. Thus, set one would only solve for the complement of number one and so on.

For each number, they were supposed to get the truth table, the K-map, the simplified function and the schematic diagram of the final circuit.

Even though I included the simplification theorems and principles in the test questionnaire, the “proving” that the original function – usually expressed as the product of sums – is the same as the result from the K-map (always a sum of products) was given as a bonus and not required.

Another change from the usual procedure I had for exams was that I did not provide the booklet this time, but they were supposed to bring graphing paper that were going to be their answer sheets, given the amount of tables and maps they were supposed to make that – in the board exercises – they already had a problem aligning.

The only problem was that – in my perennial bad habit of rushing the reproduction of the exam – for the third set one of the variables was not found and replaced.

Thus, for a third of the students of that class, they were working on three functions with only two variables each, and one with only three variables, one less than the rest of the class.

What I find strange is that the most complaints about how difficult the test was came from those with these “easier” items.

Session 983 had the easy set. Class dismissed.