It's Thursday afternoon, and I'm at the library where I thought I'd get in a little math study time, maybe finish off some homework assignments -- if I'm lucky, pass a quiz or two!! *sigh* This wasn't meant to be. I logged in to my on-line course. Waiting for me is a long memo from the teacher to all students about the class we're required to attend on Saturday, along with a list of assignments that is huge!!! (ok, does 10 count as huge? I guess it depends on what we're counting *chuckles*)
Each of these are study hints and practice problems (most are 4 pages long!), and one of them will be identical to the final. Which is on the 18th!! I didn't realize it was coming up this fast... that means my final in NINE days! omg. *panic*panic*panic* While the teacher doesn't usually have tests with a great number of problems, statistically speaking if there are only 10 problems and you miss one (or two or three or four!), your percentage falls! And our final is 20% of our grade. *sigh*shudder*sigh*
On top of that, the last assignment is to learn how to do a linear regression problem on our TI-83 Calculator (that has enough buttons and functions to operate a small aircraft, I'm certain!) With one page of notes on how to attempt to make this function work, I sat struggling with the commands as written on out. Now, I'm a literal type person, if it says push "A" , that's what I'm doing. Needless to say, I was a bit frustrated and trying to find simpler instructions via Google. I must have been sighing out loud, more likely muttering to myself loud enough for the guy next to me to ask what I was working on, and attempted to help me. We found we have a few things in common... he had just taken this class in the fall, and is now in English 102 (one of my next classes!) It was nice to be able to share a little school chit chat {grin} Oh, yeah, I finally figured out the right steps, and my calc screen had the right data on it, but I still haven't figured out how the numbers relate to the questions being answered. Hopefully, Saturday's class will. :)
HUGS to everyone!!
Here's a question for the general public: How much math is needed? How much math is too much? Or more to the point, When will I ever use this stuff? *sigh*
I'm in an "Introductory Algebra" college math course. And we're at the stage where we're beginning to graph lines and equations. Now, I understand there are jobs/fields out there where a lot of math comes in handy. And I'm all about learning new things; it keeps the brain fresh! But I keep wondering where I'll need all this in real life? Sure, I learned most of this in high school. And in all honesty, if I had continued using it on a consistent basis from then til now, I wouldn't feel as if I'd forgotten it .... so, reality wise, when will I need to graph a two variable equation on a grid???
As you can tell, I'm a little grumpy about math and graphing equations at the moment. I had a small quiz due today, and took it twice. 72% the first time, and 65% the second time :( So... am I not getting the math? or is it the terminology that's bogging me down? Or the easiest excuse of all.... is it because I'm blonde? hahaha
The last time I spoke with my Mom she said "but I thought you used to like math?" And I had to think about it. I think math is the one subject where you had to learn to think, to reason something out according to a rule. The rules were finite and didn't change. 2 + 2 = 4 always stayed the same. And for that, I did like math; like algebra, where you apply rules in a certain order to solve. I still like that part. :) Give me a page or two full of them, and I'll gladly sit down and solve them all. (yeah, ok, so ya'll know I'm a bit weird!)
Which is why work, and its rules, is so frustrating lately. Stuff that's defective, and returned to the store, is sent back to our return center for credit. In the past, we organized the stuff into boxes according to the rules laid out, and sent it all back. Granted, there are some stores who put people into my same position who don't know how to pack stuff into a box, or to stack boxes onto a pallet so that it doesn't tumble or squish before it arrives at the return center. (From my store, it goes all the way up to Las Vegas.) So ... lately they've been making rules about how things are to be packed and stacked. Every day for the past two weeks, there's been a new rule issued about how to pack and stack. Many times the rule from yesterday gets changed today, and the same again tomorrow. Make up your minds, make a rule, and lets stick to it. You make me a rule, and I'll follow it. Just don't change the rules every day so that I can't keep up. It got so bad I figured I'd just do my own thing.... lol..... and pack and stack as if *I* were going to be on the receiving end of opening the boxes I was packing. Which made it so that I didn't have to change too many things when they changed the rules on me. But sheesh!! Make A Decision!! and then stick with it!! [end rant]
Time to get down off my soapbox, thank you all for listening!
Surely I can't be the only one frustrated by lousy decision making....
HUGS to everyone!!
Every day, I log on to my computer and struggle through yet another lesson in math. It's truly humbling to think that what you know (or knew, in my case!) of math barely covers any of what's in the lessons!It's been a long time since I had to use words like exponents, integers, additive inverse and equation. And since I've started, I've begun to think they've changed things in the past 30 years. Didn't math homework say "solve the equation" or something like that ? Now they say "evaluate". Well, to me evaluate means "check this out, see what you think.. is it good? bad? indifferent?" LOL However, when asked to evaluate 3x+9=18 I typed in "looks good" and got a big red INCORRECT!! hahaha Its definitely a struggle for me to relearn some of the new terms. But if I want the grade, I hafta do it their way. So that's what I'm doing!Hugs to everyone!!!
When she opened the door, she found her TI-83 arrived... Ahhh the six foot tall dark and handsome robot she'd ordered for the night.... Whoops! ..... *ahem* ... Wrong blog, let me start again...... *giggles*
For my next class, I enrolled in an online math class; figured it would be short and sweet, get it over with in the summer! With the heat here, we stay indoors a lot anyhow.... so..... but had I known, I might not have enrolled in this class!!
The course itself = $273, and financial aid covered that :) But then all the little things crept in. After all the information arrived (which of course was AFTER I enrolled and paid my tuition), I found I didn't have to purchase a book, but the online class access fee was $42.95. On top of that, I was informed that I had to have a TI-83 calculator! And of course, those are $100!!! But there's a place that rents them for $9/month. Ok, that's do-able!
The said calculator arrived today. Signature Required meant a trip to the post off (which was good, because I had two things to ship out...... ) When I arrived home and opened the package, to my surprise, there was a "gift" included in the package... a No.2 Pencil with eraser cap, and a 6" plastic ruler (watch out IRC fellas, I can now take measurements!!! hahahah) By the way, there are more commands on this thing than I know what to do with! ~~grin~~
The class was supposed to start on June 1, but me, being an eager beaver, wanted to get a jump on it, and started on Sunday, perusing and learning how to use the online tutorials and such. By Monday, I figured out where the homework assignments were being stored. So I got the first one done. To my disappointment, when I logged back in on Tuesday, there was a new assignment posted .... and an instruction for me to retake the first homework assignment. UGH!! I cannot get ahead if I have to keep going back!!
Is it August yet ??????? HUGS to everyone!
