1271 FAQ

1271 Frequently Asked Questions/Answers

What's the general idea here? These pages allow you to practice relatively mechanical problems and issues whenever you want, getting instant feedback, working at your own pace.
How many tries do I have to get each question right? As many as you want. The point is that you learn how to do each type of problem. Just be sure to take care of each assignment by its due date.
Who keeps track of whether I get problems right or wrong? Only successes are registered, not mistakes. No one keeps track of how many tries it takes to get a problem right. All that will be logged is that you did get it right. Each question is really a huge family of slightly different questions of the same general type. When you've practiced enough so that you get one of the questions right on your first try, then you can register for credit.
Do I have to get all the problems in an assignment correct at one time? No. Just work on each problem type individually until you get it.
I got the right answer, but the machine wouldn't let me register my success. What's up? To get credit for a type of question, you have to get one of the questions right on the very first try. If you mess up on your first try, you can continue trying that very same problem until you do get it right. Then hit the "another" button to get a different problem of the same type. If you get the new one right on the first try, you'll get credit. If not, hit "another" to get a fresh one of that type. You can keep trying as long as you like. No one is keeping track.
My computer doesn't display any questions at all. What's up? First, check that you have Java enabled. In recent browsers this is under "Preferences" or some such. In slightly older browsers, this is under "Security" or under "Options". It is wise NOT to leave Java and Javascript enabled all the time when surfing the net, especially to URLs you don't necessarily trust, since having Java and Javascript enabled makes it easier for people to mess with your machine. Might want to turn off "cookies", too. Second, if your machine is really old (by net standards) it may have such an old browser that it doesn't support Java at all. In that case you can try getting a newer browser, but if your machine is too old that may not succeed.
Do I need to download special software to use these pages? No. It's all designed to run without doing anything at all. And it should work on any platform, any operating system, any browser. As long as they're not toooooooo old. (It uses Java 1.0, not 1.1, and certainly not 1.2/2.0. No Javascript whatsoever).
Notation? How can I type superscripts? Multiplication? Fractions? Well, that's a problem with typing things on a keyboard. The style here is that 2-times-x is 2*x, and x-squared is x^2, for example. You'll have to be careful with parentheses and use more parentheses than you may be accustomed to, but that's probably a good thing to practice, anyway. There are further bits of explanation as issues arise.
Since there are lots of ways to express the same thing, how can the machine tell whether my answer is really the same as the answer it expects? Won't it falsely tell me that I got the wrong answer? The machine tells whether two expressions are equal by seeing whether they evaluate to the same thing. So no, the machine is quite tolerant of writing the same thing different ways.
Do I have to simplify? Most of the time not. In a few problems there is a specific requirement to rewrite an expression in a form that doesn't use parentheses, or something like that, but most of the time not.
What was the motivation in making this stuff and using it in 1271? My motivation in making the things here is to help you learn how to do mathematics. The idea is that you can practice and get feedback on the relatively mechanical stuff whenever you want. Maybe this will leave more time for your instructor and TA to talk about the trickier things. By the way, we didn't just buy this software somewhere, I spent most of my summer and fall 1999 making it, and I continue to try to improve it and take care of it. The fact that I would spend a lot of time and energy here should give you the idea that I am committed to having it be genuinely helpful. It's not just for appearances or to be cool (although coolness would be ok, too). If something seems to be broken, please let me know. At the same time, it has already been used in fall 1999 and spring 2000, and I think all the answers are correct, and it basically works, so don't be too eager to find problems. ;-)
© 2000 Paul Garrett The University of Minnesota explicitly requires that the following disclaimer be included: "The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the page author. The contents of this page have not been reviewed or approved by the University of Minnesota."