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torquillI cannot adequately express my hatred of this class.
We have to draw double-reciprocal (that's 1/x vs. 1/y) plots of the given data, figure out the apparent slope and y-intercept, then plug them into one of five different equations that all look the same. Which we have to have memorized. That's ignoring all of the equations for the constants involved, which we also have to memorize.
We have to look at the resulting plot and decide whether it's an example of competitive, non-competitive, mixed non-competitive, or uncompetitive activity -- the only differences are the slope of the lines and where they intersect (at the x-axis, at the y-axis, in between, never). If all those terms sound very similar, it's because they're really fucking stupid descriptors for what's happening.
I can't use my calculator to make a coherent graph based on points, only based on functions. If she doesn't provide us with graph paper I will bite somebody.
Oh, and she still wants the exam to be done in pen.
Edit: There is a review question telling us how many amino acids are in a certain protein, and asking us to calculate the length in Angstroms of the resulting coil. This would require memorizing 1) how many amino acids to a turn in a coil, 2) how many Angstroms to a turn, 3) the fact that this protein is different, and 4) the number of Angstroms to a turn in this protein. I don't give a tinker's damn that a turn of this particular keratin is 5.1 Angstroms in length rather than the usual 5.4 Angstroms -- I have enough actually relevant things to worry about.
If she puts something like that on the exam, I will have to choose between kneecapping her, or just giving her Hemingway on why memorizing shit like this actually hurts learning. I'm thinking about three pages worth of handwritten essay. In pen.
I've lost the battle to not stress over this exam.
We have to draw double-reciprocal (that's 1/x vs. 1/y) plots of the given data, figure out the apparent slope and y-intercept, then plug them into one of five different equations that all look the same. Which we have to have memorized. That's ignoring all of the equations for the constants involved, which we also have to memorize.
We have to look at the resulting plot and decide whether it's an example of competitive, non-competitive, mixed non-competitive, or uncompetitive activity -- the only differences are the slope of the lines and where they intersect (at the x-axis, at the y-axis, in between, never). If all those terms sound very similar, it's because they're really fucking stupid descriptors for what's happening.
I can't use my calculator to make a coherent graph based on points, only based on functions. If she doesn't provide us with graph paper I will bite somebody.
Oh, and she still wants the exam to be done in pen.
Edit: There is a review question telling us how many amino acids are in a certain protein, and asking us to calculate the length in Angstroms of the resulting coil. This would require memorizing 1) how many amino acids to a turn in a coil, 2) how many Angstroms to a turn, 3) the fact that this protein is different, and 4) the number of Angstroms to a turn in this protein. I don't give a tinker's damn that a turn of this particular keratin is 5.1 Angstroms in length rather than the usual 5.4 Angstroms -- I have enough actually relevant things to worry about.
If she puts something like that on the exam, I will have to choose between kneecapping her, or just giving her Hemingway on why memorizing shit like this actually hurts learning. I'm thinking about three pages worth of handwritten essay. In pen.
I've lost the battle to not stress over this exam.
