Information Pertaining to Homework


Note: Go to this webpage pertaining to homework assignments to find out about specific homework assignments and due dates.

Information about the HW Component of Course Grade

Rather than have 6 HW assignments, and count your best 5 of the 6 (or have 12 assignments and count your best 10 of 12), like I've done for some classes that I've taught in the past, I will make the problems assigned throughout the semester worth various amounts of points, and just keep track of your cumulative points earned. In order to make some allowance for illness, work-related travel, canine urination, etc., that may make it hard for you to turn in a good solution to each problem, at the end of the semester I'll compute the HW component of your course grade as described below:
letting m be the sum of all of the point values for the problems assigned throughout the semester, and y be the sum of all of the points that you earn (your cumulative total), the number of HW points you receive (out of a maximum of 50, since HW is worth 50%) will be
50*min{y, 0.9*m}/(0.9*m) = min{500*y/(9*m), 50}
(and so you can miss up to 10% of the points, and still get a perfect 50 ... and extra credit points will count toward the numerator sum (y), but not the denominator sum (m)).
At this point in time, I don't know how many HW problems, or HW points, there will be this semester. I expect that most of you will find that the problems assigned in the second half of the semester will be easier than the problems from the first half of the semester, since the majority of the ones from the second half can be simply done using StatXact.

Late HW Policy

Most problems will be due 2 approximately two weeks after they are assigned, so that you will have ample opportunity to ask questions about the material and do the problems. (I indicate approximately two weeks since I plan to post the homework after class. I hope that usually it will be just several hours after class, but sometimes it may be as late as 24 hours after class, in which case you will just have 13 days before the due date. If you don't have the problems ready to turn in on the Thursday that they are due, twice during the semester I will accept them up until 1:00 PM on the following Friday, and will grade them after that only if I haven't already graded the papers of the other students.

When dropping off late HW papers, take them to my office in Nguyen Engineering Building, putting them under my door (my office is room 1706). Whether you fax your paper, or leave it for me under my office door, send me an e-mail indicating that you turned in your paper late (with late meaning that you did not turn it in at the classroom on the nominal due date).

If you fax your paper, or drop it off, and for whatever reason I don't get it, then I won't give you any credit. So the best plan will be to always turn in your paper to me in the classroom on the Thursday that it is due (but it is usually safe for you to put your paper under my office door --- I don't know of any instances when students have done so and I didn't get the paper).

Other Comments about HW