Guidelines for Final
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Exam starts at 9 AM sharp. Arrive 5 minutes early to FOXBORO AUDITORIUM.
NO NOTES, NO CALCULATORS, NO BOOKS, nothing but writing instruments.
Exam consists of between five and ten questions, all or most being proof questions. Most are identical, very similar to, or strongly based on homework problems and exam study questions (new questions and previous sets Ch. 1-2 and Ch. 3-4). The content is cumulative, but weighted toward new material.
TIPS:
1. Consider the exam study questions a "take-home" exam, since by now you've noticed problems tend to re-appear on the exams.
2. The same can be said of homework problems!
3. The final may include a few problems that look new or different. However, if you understand the study problems well enough, you have good preparation for these kinds of problems. Therefore, as you solve study problems, contemplate what your solution means and what further questions and/or conclusions your proofs may lead to.
WARNING:
As the exam nears, do not attempt to memorize, rather than understand, proofs. On an exam, if you attempt to write out a proof from memory rather than from understanding, it's likely to come out like it was chewed through Google translate. Mathematical nonsense won't get partial credit, and in fact will be penalized. Besides, by now there are way too many long proofs to try to memorize. Just understand your solutions.