Term tests are done!

I refrained from writing about term test 2  until now in case the questions are similar for both the morning and evening sections.

I got a little nervous when I flipped through the paper and discovered that there were only two questions for the test. Although that meant plenty of time, it could also have meant that each question was more challenging. With this in mind, I dug right into the first question. I first tried substituting every n in the unwinding equation with 2^k. But after a few unwinding, the equation soon looked very messy and complicated. So I reverted back to doing repeated substitution using n, keeping in mind that n is a power of 2. As I continued solving, the question reminded me of a tutorial question that involved sum of geometric series. Suddenly I was unsure of my approach to this question, because unlike the tutorial question where f(n) was n^2 (the time it takes to divide and recombine), the f(n) for this test question had a lower degree (I cannot remember exactly what it is). Therefore I was hesitant to use the sum of geometric series formula, thinking that perhaps there was a clearer way to do the question. However, since time was limited, and I could not see another immediate problem-solving approach, it was better to come up with an answer than nothing. Having an answer also helped me move on to the next part of the question, which was to prove that my answer was correct.

The second question was slightly easier to solve than the first in my opinion. We had recently handed in Assignment 2, so the questions on A2 were still fresh in mind. Since the second question had to be solved with the help of n-hat (the smallest power of 2 that is greater than or equal to n), I approached the question in the same way I did for A2.

Even though there were only two questions, I had just enough time to finish the test. Now I'm starting to worry about the level of difficulty of the final exam.