5 ways to get a free period in class

If you're a student in my class,  and you're not Abhishek Sudarshan, you've probably read a lot of books.  And one major, prominent idea that appears in many books is 'sacrifice for the greater good'. Read on, you'll understand what I'm trying to say.

Physics: Getting a free period in physics is like getting some sort of a tax discount. Well, for some strange reason, if you do feel like getting a free period in the middle of a boring afternoon session, it's better not to try and get one all by yourself. The only thing you'll get by annoying our physics sir is probably a cardio-muscular pull. On a second note, even if the whole class annoys him, he'll leave us at 4'o clock. Trust me, it's just not worth it.

Chemistry: Easy one. I can even write a book on this topic. Here are the obvious ones:

1. Buy one Get one free. Selectively bunk all chemistry classes one day, get free periods next.
2. 30% off. Be physically present in class, but mentally absent. Spend class time wisely through sleeping; this builds up some energy for the subsequent physics class as well. While you get a full 'free period', others gain a bit from it too.
3. Family Deal. Comfortably arrange a PTM outside class, all by yourself. This is the safest way, and best, too. A helpful prerequisite would be a bad mark in the most recent Phase Test or NCERT test.
4. Unlimited Coke. Drink a lot of coca cola before the class, and channel your extra energy into asking mindless doubts. The closer you sit to Sagnik/Arvind KR, the more successful you will be. Just make sure there's no physics class after that, though.

Math(s): There's really no point in getting a free period, is it? 

That's it, fellas! My rate of blogging has suffered a sudden fall-- I'll launch an RSS feed anytime soon. Also, congrats to Sagnik and Subiksha for getting the KVPY mentor scholarship! You deserve it!

The transition to 12th

Yay, we finished our exams. We got some marks, too, though. Mathematics brought us quite a few surprises and let-downs. Chemistry was average, and computer science was unfair. Anyway, the good news is that almost all of us passed. And that's what matters, at least for now.
Now to other stuff. We're starting phase 5 from next week.
Whew.

Wonderful.

Just think about how 4 phases just flew so far. Admit it, we've enjoyed ourselves to the maximum. Somehow, thinking about all these past memories, 12th seems haunting to me. Physics homework everyday, and insanely difficult (or easy, depends on how much you like it) chemistry, make 12th look different from 11nth. But, again, observe: 11nth took us 11 months, and 12th will take about 7-8. Easy, right?
Anyway, a good and bad of recent times:
1. CVM sir created a forum. A few months ago, I thought this was a statistical impossibility; so this is a pleasant surprise. Let's just hope this doesn't die down soon.
2.We're getting summer holidays. This is what you call an 'unexpected reward'. 10 days. Will you use it to study or have the time of your life?
3. Bi-weekly tests. We will be putting a lot more time on NCERT now, but Bi-Weekly tests are too far. Half the kids in our class will have to attend some sort of Remedial Class, for NCERT stuff. Oh boy, I'm gonna miss those days when we used to cram in the last minute.
4. Pranav's mini-sculptures. They're pure awesome. The level of detail he puts into little chalk pieces are amazing. He can make mini-skulls, mini-minivans, everything. Woah. I'll ask him to make a mini-earth next.

All the best for phase test-4, guys. Hey, and btw, I'm making this little hacking game. If you want to beta test it, send me a message!

Computer science, and Practicals

Before you get started on me about physics, listen to this: Physics was totally predictable. No point creating a blog post for chapters we had months of experience in. Anyway, computer science appears to be a a more dangerous subject, so let's get to business.

The standard approach to CS would be: Mug up all theory QA and Practice all programs. Although the latter would be a tad more difficult for insincere lab students, having an understanding in the former can help a lot. Be sure to expect the following types of questions (as usual) and keep in mind:

• Theory questions: This is easy. I mean, most questions are the obvious type, the basic theory questions anyone can answer. A revision helps, though. Oh, and if you don't know an answer, just take a minute to cough up some fancy vocabulary, and you're good in no time.
• Debug: This is pretty easy. The mistakes aren't hard to find, and over-corrections are generally not  penalized. If you're doubtful something's a mistake, don't waste time debating about it.
• Record the output: This is the tough nut. Be extremely careful with this, and for security, do the outputs again at the end of the exam. This can be a bit confusing at times, but we'll be getting standard questions in the annual paper. Also see Random Functions below.
• Rewrite: This is a cross between Write Programs and Record the Output.  Be acquainted with all the standard conversions like for-while-dowhile, matrix-array, string.h-nostring.h, etc.
• Write programs:  This too is a toughie. Correction isn't exactly, well-- lenient, so be a careful. Practice notebook questions, and especially record questions. And if you have time at the end, debug your programs.. heh heh.
• Random functions: I don't think this is gonna come, but if it does come in a record-the-output question, remember: There can be repetitions. If you generate 3 random numbers, for instance, they may be 3,3,3 or 4,5,5 or 5,6,5. The randomize() function does not prevent repetitions. It prevents the generation of the same set of random numbers. It's like this-- without the randomize() function, suppose you execute a program, the numbers 3,7,7 are generated. When you close the program and run it again, the numbers 3,7,7 are generated again. Basically, this means that the first time you generate random numbers, they are stored in memory, and they appear the next time you execute the program too. Randomize() prevents this.

Computer science looks easy in front of what's next-- practicals. Physics isn't all that hard, but chemistry sends shivers down my spine. And by the way, we have a full day on Tuesday. That doesn't leave out a lot of time for record-writing and studying, so you'd better do it now.

Oh, and IMPORTANT: If you need any program, just comment. Or post on facebook. I'll reply in minutes.

The Math test-- Blueprint, tips, and more

Getting a 90+ on this exam is easy, provided that you've read through all the chapters and solved a couple of random problems here and there. I'm pretty sure that 90% of the problems will be textbook problems, so your mark depends almost wholly on your preparation. Anyway, here are some tips to maximize your score:

• Time yourself. I repeat this again, and you probably know why. No one knows how long the paper is going to be, so it's better to keep track of time. Don't waste too much time on a problem if you're not getting it, and if you see a problem and it looks new to you, save it for the last.
• Check. Check. Check. I don't know why no one does this. If you finish the paper fast, don't give the paper and leave. Check your paper, instead. Become MP in word and thought, and check for mistakes. Trust me, this works. Every time I check my paper, I find at least 3-4 marks' worth of mistakes.
• Go through the example problems in the textbook. Sometimes, misc. level problems appear there, and can catch you unawares in the exam. This happened in the last term exam, as I remember it.(Remember? The tan3x problem everyone expanded and wasted 15 minutes on?)
• Explain your answer. This applies to Probability and P&C problems. The explanation is a must, otherwise you'll lose more than half the marks of the problem, although you took all the pains to solve it. And don't write your explanation like a social science one. Make it crisp and proper. 

I hope that helps. Here's the blue print:

Topic	1 mark	4 mark	6 mark
Trigonometry	2	2	-
Linear inequalities	1	1	1
Permutations and Combinations	1	-	1
Binomial Theorem	1	1	1
3D Geometry	1	1	-
Limits And Derivatives	1	2	1
Probability	1	1	1
Straight Lines	1	2	1
Matrices	1	2	1

Well, that's it, then. If you liked this article, give a +1!  Oh, and if you're reading this on the day I posted it, don't forget 50 rupees for the group photo.
Next post on Thursday, for physics. So long, guys!