Here are the assignments for February 1, 2010:

Statistics: Chapter 3, Do the Review Exercises, p. 173, problems 1-4,6-9, and 20, a & b
Because we haven't discussed these in class yet, they are not due next week. I just put them up here in case you have time and want to get a head start.

Chemistry: The "special chemistry homework" is listed below. Click the "Read More" link to see the whole thing. If you would like a printable version, there's a pdf attatchment you can open and print.

Chemistry 201 Essay Questions
January 25, 2010

1. Are monosaccharides water soluble? Why or why not?

2. What are disaccharides? Give an example.

3. What are polysaccharides? Give an example.

4. What are the differences between glycogen, starch, and cellulose? What do they have in common?

5. What class of carbohydrate is xylitol?

6. What are three functions of lipids?

7. Draw a diagram of a biological membrane showing the lipid bilayer.

8. How does the basic carbon structure of a steroid differ from a triglyceride? Draw a schematic diagram of each.

9. What is a lipoprotein? What is its biological function?

10. Name three steroid hormones, and give their functions.

11. Proteins are made of what type of subunit?

12. Name four roles proteins play in biological systems.

13. What is a zwitterion? What does this have to do with amino acids?

Chemistry--Read Chapter 21, "Lipids." We'll discuss both Chapter 20 and 21 next week, so don't worry if you find some of the topics hard to follow--we'll go over them together, with marshmallow and gumdrop visual aids.

Math--This week we use that little paperback you had to buy--"Math for Health Care Professionals." Chapter 8, "Drug Dosages." Do the Post Test, odd numbered questions, pp. 184-194. (It runs #1--#65. You can just write your answers on a sheet of paper--Don't write in the book if you want to sell it back).

And finally, here are the pages of the last Math 101 Extra-special homework assignment. There are four pages. You can download and print them, or you can click on them and print them from within your browser. If you can't get them printed, don't worry about it. I'll bring paper copies to class next week, and you can do it then.

• Page 1
• Page 2
• Page 3
• Page 4

OK, folks--this time for sure. You can find the course syllabus materials at this link:

http://spiceridge.com/msu/

I can upgrade and improve this Web site as a communication resource, if enough of you would find it useful.

I was interested to find this projection on where ebook prices will eventually land. I hope these guys are right!

Pricing innovations are inevitable in the digital world as well. Prices of e-books should be shaped by cost structures and customer demand rather than by comparison to traditional p-book pricing. A stand-alone electronic book business has radically different economics than the print business: If we assume that the average retail price of a print book is $10, then the average wholesale price is $5 (the $5 difference represents the retailers’ costs for store rent and personnel, including a profit of, at most, only 50 cents for the retailer); the costs of paper, printing and binding are roughly $1, the author’s royalties (15 percent of retail price) $1.50, internal publishers’ costs (including marketing, sales, warehousing, inventory management and distribution) of approximately $2, on average, leaving a publisher’s margin of 50 cents.

Here are some Excel spreadsheet tutorials, reference sheets, and other resources. Enjoy!