Dead Week

This is dead week (aka the week before finals). therefore, I will me MIA until next weekend.

I hate finals.

Webassign

I know there is someone that will read this that will find humor in my pain:
okay so webassign is my online homework website for my calculus class at Texas A&M. It is a huge pain at times. enough said.
Anyways, I also have this really cool prof for that class, Ms. Allen. She is always willing to answer any questions I have and I have got to know her better than any other professor I have had.

I was frustrated with webassign and this is the email I sent to her. I was just reading it after having sent it and realized how funny I am...at least I think I'm funny, anyways.

hey ms allen!
I hope your day is going well! Thanks for talking to me after class today. You're so cool! lol :)

...hah. So, I just typed out this really long explanation as to why I was confused on 6.1 #1...and while explaining, realized my error- I added 2+7=10....hmm. maybe I should go back to preschool.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAnyways, I still have a few questions on 6.4.

I am not understanding #2 (b) Given f(x)=(x-7)^2 on the interval [6,9] Find c such that fave = f(c).
I tried what I thought I should do, but it didn't work. Here's what I tried:
I set y1=(x-7)^2
I found the function value at every point in the interval.
y(6)=1
y(7)=0
y(8)=1
y(9)=4
I then took the integral from [6,the corresponding b value] of each using fnint.
[6,6] gives 0, obviously, therefore it is not a correct answer because 1 does not = 0
[6,7] gives 1/3 therefore it is not a correct answer because 0 does not = 1
[6,8] gives 2/3 therefore it is not a correct answer because 2/3 does not = 1
[6,9] gives 3 therefore it is not a correct answer because 3 does not = 4

So, there you go. I am left with no answer on that one. oh the wonderment.

Moving on to more confusion, I decided to subject myself to 6.4 problem #3.
Find the numbers b such that the average value of f(x) on the interval [0, b] is equal to 5.
Thinking all hope was lost at first sight of this problem, I was pretty bummed. But then I got the false idea that I might somehow have ciphered a solution to this problem.
this was my work: ( | means evaluated from)
The integral from 0 to b of (3+10x-3x^2)dx = 3x+10(.5x^2)-3(1/3 x^3)|0 to b= 3x+5x^2-x^3|0 to b=
3b+5b^2-b^3 - 0 =5
in order to solve for b, I used that wacko formula whatchumacalit -b+-sqrt(b^2-4ac)/2a
I received the following outputs:
(5+sqrt(37))/2
(5-sqrt(37))/2

Then webassign says,"haha, loser. -2 points! try again!"

I know this was really long, but I hope my cynical remarks helped you push through it. :)

Thanks again for being the most awesome and approachable lecturer at Texas A&M. I think I would have been in a glass case of emotion if I had to take this class without your help...and please tell me that you know where that quote was from or else you lose like 3 cool points.

Chels

ps: if I sound like a crazy person in this e mail, its because webassign has driven me to the point of insanity. blame them, not me. :)