Paralagathom!
Jun. 6th, 2006 11:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
barnabas_trumanSo today I gave the Algebra I final exam. The students made lots of mistakes. Oh lordy did they make lots of mistakes. There were a few rather good scores--93%, 80%, and 77% were the top (unless you count Hazel, who took the exam too and got 96%)--but overall they were pretty bad. A lot of them seemed to think that they can just make up their own rules for cancellation on the spot--hey, there's a 3 in the fraction here, and another 3 in the fraction there, that means they cancel out, right?
Anyway. They are fortunate that I don't bother taking off points for spelling. One of the questions was "What is the name of the rule that allows you to solve for x [in the right triangle] above?" The correct answer is, of course, the Pythagorean Theorem. Two students spelled it right. Three left in blank. Here, for your amusement, are the rest...
Pathagoream Theorum
Pythagrean therom
Pytharaeom theorm
equation of a right triangle
pythageorean theorem
The Paralagathom Therom
Pathagorean Theorem
Permules principle [a misremembered "Bernoulli's Principle," perhaps?]
Pythagorean theory
The pathogram theory
Pythagorean theorum
pythagoream theorem
Pathagreum theroum
pythagoreum theorum
pythrom theom
Moving on to the next question--"What name refers to the diagonal line opposite the right angle in any right triangle?" I actually don't like this question (I didn't design the test) because the hypotenuse is not always diagonal (depends on how the triangle is oriented) and it's technically a line segment, not a line, but oh well. Most of the class got this one right, but there were a few amusing misspellings as well.
hypotonuse
hypotenuese
obtuse
The hypytonuse
Paralagathom [I love this word!]
hypotinouse
hypothise
I propose that we rename the hypotenuse "paralagathom" because it's such a cool word.
Anyway. They are fortunate that I don't bother taking off points for spelling. One of the questions was "What is the name of the rule that allows you to solve for x [in the right triangle] above?" The correct answer is, of course, the Pythagorean Theorem. Two students spelled it right. Three left in blank. Here, for your amusement, are the rest...
Pathagoream Theorum
Pythagrean therom
Pytharaeom theorm
equation of a right triangle
pythageorean theorem
The Paralagathom Therom
Pathagorean Theorem
Permules principle [a misremembered "Bernoulli's Principle," perhaps?]
Pythagorean theory
The pathogram theory
Pythagorean theorum
pythagoream theorem
Pathagreum theroum
pythagoreum theorum
pythrom theom
Moving on to the next question--"What name refers to the diagonal line opposite the right angle in any right triangle?" I actually don't like this question (I didn't design the test) because the hypotenuse is not always diagonal (depends on how the triangle is oriented) and it's technically a line segment, not a line, but oh well. Most of the class got this one right, but there were a few amusing misspellings as well.
hypotonuse
hypotenuese
obtuse
The hypytonuse
Paralagathom [I love this word!]
hypotinouse
hypothise
I propose that we rename the hypotenuse "paralagathom" because it's such a cool word.
