Here is another sample final and its answers.
A sample final is here and the answers are
here.
Sample test 2 is here and the solutions are here.
Here are some sample first tests: sample test1only
covers chapters 1-5. This test was given in 2002 and
covers all 6 chapters. Here are the answers to the 2002 test.
Estimation problems are designed to help you understand the difference
between and a million and a billion and to help you get comfortable with
large numbers (ie: exponents). We consider questions like this in
daily life and in politics all the time. Is a 1ドル.5 trillion deficit
a lot? Is 30 dead Americans in Iraq a lot? Should I buy a
lottery ticket? How much impact does my household trash have on the environment?
These are questions where you will need to supply some of the information
(ie: estimate). Your answer should almost never
have more than one significant figure (that's the number before the 10^x)
because your estimate will never be that accurate.
Sample question: How far could you walk in a year?
Sample answer: I walk about 3 miles per hour. If I walk 12 hours
per day and 365 days per year then I can walk
3 mi/h * 12 h/day * 365 day/yr = 13140 mi/yr = 1 * 10^4 mi in one
year
Note that 13140 mi is wrong because it implies that
you know the answer much better than you actually do. The 3 mph
might be 2.5 or 4. The 12 hours/day might be 8 or 14. You
might have to take some days off. 1*10^4 implies that the
answer is not very precise.
Note also that when I calculate the
answer, I don't use a calculator. I round off the numbers to: 3 mi/h *
10 h/day * 400 day/yr = 12000 mi/yr = 1 * 10^4 mi in one year